The Baha’i Encyclopedia Project, long gestation first fruits
The Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project achieves a major milestone today, April 9, 2009, with the launching of a website featuring a gradually expanding selection of articles for the study of the Bahá’í Faith:. The articles–covering a range of topics in the categories of history, biography, teachings and laws, administration and institutions–bring together information from a wide variety of sources and in many cases reflect original research. Every attempt has been made, within the limits of available resources, to present the articles in an attractive and user-friendly format and to make it possible to update and improve them over time.
Excitement over this achievement is tempered, however, by the circumstances in which it takes place. Since the inception of the Encyclopedia Project in 1984, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States has provided unfailing encouragement and financial support. In late 2008, however, cost considerations resulting from the world economic crisis led the National Assembly to seek ways to reorganize the project in order to maintain momentum in its online publishing while reducing expenditures. The Encyclopedia Editorial Board was released from service, and the Encyclopedia Project’s two-person staff was immediately halved. After a period of several months spent on preparations for launching the website, the coordinating editor’s tenure as a full-time staff member also ended. The project is currently being restructured on the basis of volunteer service and earmarked contributions to support part-time editorial work and website maintenance and development, as resources permit.
The members of the Encyclopedia Editorial Board, many of whom have served for all or much of the life of the Project, deserve special thanks. They are: Larry Bucknell, Betty J. Fisher, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Todd Lawson, Heshmat Moayyad, Gayle Morrison, Sholeh Quinn, Martha L. Schweitz, Robert H. Stockman, and Will C. van den Hoonaard. The Project’s administrative assistant for over ten years, Sharon Bakula, also merits gratitude for her hard work and steadfastness. The Encyclopedia Project owes a great debt of gratitude to former general editors John Walbridge and Moojan Momen and sociology editor Will C. van den Hoonaard and their assistants; to former staff members in Evanston; to all contributors; and to the well-wishers who have lent (and continue to lend) material and moral support to this endeavor.
The Encyclopedia Project welcomes inquiries, comments, and suggestions, which may be sent to: encyclopedia@usbnc.org. Gayle Morrison, Coordinating Editor, Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project.