Every month, we host Encounters with Anthroposophy, a lecture series in which seasoned anthroposophists share how they encountered Anthroposophy and how it shaped the course of their lives.
Online lecture repository
Visit our online repository of past lectures HERE! Please note that this page is password-restricted and can only be accessed by members of the library. Already a member? Email us for the password!
Autumn 2025 lecture schedule
- Thurs, September 18, 2025 at 5:30pm: Andrew Hoy
- Thurs, October 16, 2025 at 5:30pm: Robert Oelhaf
- Thurs, November 20, 2025 at 5:30pm: Jeanne Bergen
- Thurs, December 11, 2025 at 5:30pm: Sonni Chamberland
Visit our Facebook page for more events!
The Rudolf Steiner Library Newsletter is published digitally twice a year. Run for many years as a printed newsletter under librarian Fred Paddock, the newsletter ceased to be published in 2009. Executive Director Zoï Doehrer has brought back the newsletter in 2025 after a 16-year hiatus.
Digital access to new issues is a perk of membership with the library! Read the latest issue HERE. Please note that this page is password-restricted – email us for the password!
Report from Dornach
In June 2024, the library’s Executive Director, Zoï Doehrer, attended The Presence of Rudolf Steiner’s Works Today, an inaugural conference for librarians, editors, and publishers globally who deal with the written work of Rudolf Steiner. (A big thank-you to all patrons who supported this trip by donating to cover the expenses!)
Headed by Constanza Kaliks, Peter Selg, and Andrea de la Cruz, the conference brought together almost 50 people to discuss the future of the written work of Steiner. Zoï ended up being the only representative from the USA, and was proud to be representing the Rudolf Steiner Library abroad.
Highlights for Zoï included meeting with Peter Selg and telling him more about our special collection in New York, and meeting with the director of the Goetheanum’s library and comparing these ‘sister’ institutions. The beautiful library there contains 100,000 books alone, plus periodicals and archival materials. The visit to this library was very inspiring for Zoï and confirmed to her that we are on the right path with our library here in Hudson. Our 50,000 items put us in the top 5 anthroposophical libraries in the world, and make us the biggest collection of English-language Steiner books in the world!
The conference included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rudolf Steiner Archiv in Haus Duldeck, where conference attendees were able to hold original materials that Steiner had handwritten. The archive houses over 10,000 books from Steiner’s personal collection, including books from which he had cut out substantial sections in order to travel more lightly by carrying only the essential pages!
Another highlight was visiting the Ita Wegman Archive in Arlesheim. Peter Selg gave a special tour for interested parties, and we were able to see items such as Wegman’s death mask, Steiner’s suitcase, and more. It was a very special atmosphere at the Wegman House, curated by Selg.
Zoï met colleagues from around the world during the conference and was able to make important connections for the future of the Rudolf Steiner Library. Sharing ideas and getting feedback globally was an invaluable experience. While she wished that the overall dialogue of the conference would have focused more specifically on libraries, it was an enlightening experience and plans are already in motion for a 2nd conference.
A theme that persisted through the conference was the need for national and global networks that would connect all of us who work closely with the written works of Steiner. Nationally, Zoï envisions this as an opportunity to connect more meaningfully with Branch libraries across the country, offering resources to elevate and highlight their collections. As the national anthroposophical library in America, we wish to be of service to individuals as well as Branches working out of anthroposophy.
Another theme that sparked inspiration was discussion about 2025 being the 100-year anniversary of Steiner’s passing. Each person who attended the conference was given the task of creating some time of commemorative event at their institution (libraries, book shops, or publishing houses) that would highlight a text from Steiner and perhaps have lectures around it. We are already pondering how best to commemorate his passing here at the Rudolf Steiner Library and welcome your suggestions and hopes!
In conclusion, the conference was an exciting beginning of what we hope will be a global collaboration of colleagues working out of similar impulses to preserve and proliferate the written works of Rudolf Steiner.