An important agreement was signed on October 29, 2025, to restore, modernize, and make available to students and scholars the library of the now-closed Evangelical Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (ISEDET). The agreement, the substance of which is a 50-year free loan, was signed between the four Protestant denominations that together own the Library and the National Pedagogical University (UNIPE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This agreement, which was reached after years of negotiation, was signed by Marcelo Nicolau, the Moderator of the Waldensian Evangelical Church of the Río de la Plata; Leonardo Schindler, the president of the Evangelical Church of the Río de la Plata; Mariela Pereira, the president of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church; Pablo Andiñach, the president of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina; and Carlos Rodriguez, the Rector of the National Pedagogical University.
In this agreement, the National Pedagogical University commits itself to making available for students, scholars, and general public the books and periodicals that has been in the now-closed Evangelical Institute for Advanced Theological Institute. The collections of the old library of the Institute in one of the libraries of the National Pedagogical University.
This agreement ensures the preservation and accessibility for scholarship of what was the largest theological library in Latin America. Furthermore, the material will once again be available to be used in the teaching, research, and outreach of Protestant congregations.
Waldensian Moderator Marcelo Nicolau summed up the importance of the agreement: “This is an exceedingly important event that rescues a cultural and heritage resource that had been truly in danger. We in the Waldensian Church are very happy with this great step that we have taken together. Our commitment now is to move the library to its new location – it is currently in storage – and then help prepare the collection for its opening to the public, something we hope to accomplish in the first half of 2026.”
