Small Theological Libraries as Place

The idea of “library as place” has become challenged/problematized because of two concurrent realities—the pandemic and the growing popularity of online instructional delivery. These two realities have aggravated longstanding questions about the status of small theological libraries already struggling with limited personnel and resources. How can we envision the “theological library as place” in such a way that we can revalue physical space while also orienting and guiding development of virtual spaces? After speakers have shared concepts and resources, participants will be broken up into small groups to discuss experiences including challenges and successes and may focus on either physical place or virtual place.

NACO/CONSER/SACO

Annually, the Operations Committee (OpCo) of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) presents a two-day meeting in Washington, DC, to advise participants in the PCC programs of what they need to know to work cooperatively with all the other catalogers in the program. This year, as last year, an online meeting replaced the in-person meeting, but the purpose was the same. This Listen and Learn session will update Atla participants in the NACO, CONSER, or SACO funnels with the information that was presented at OpCo, so that their work in the Atla funnels will adhere to the current practices in the PCC programs. The session also presents news of changes coming in programs and tools that funnel participants use.

How Theological Librarians Can Help Change the World

The 1000 Women in Religion Project is working towards adding 1,000 biographies about women to Wikipedia, where only 18% of entries are about women. Knowledge and gender gaps on Wikipedia are well documented and exist despite the platform’s idealistic early goal of providing “free access to the sum of all human knowledge.” This paper details the Australian Women in Religion Project, a collaborative initiative under the auspices of the University of Divinity. The experience of the Australian project can be used as a model for similar projects in other parts of the world. Understanding Wikipedia’s policies around notability, reliability, secondary sources, and conflict of interest is important. There are many benefits to participating in Wikipedia projects like this and theological librarians are well placed to contribute. This is a practical way to highlight noteworthy women in religion while addressing issues of systemic knowledge and gender bias on platforms like Wikipedia.

There and Back Again (Almost)

Library renovation caused the staff of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary to plan a move of library services to a temporary location. The staff selected a subset of books to remain available to users; 90,000 volumes were placed in storage. Records for unavailable volumes were suppressed so that users would only see information about books available to them. The staff chose 6,000 books for a temporary library, based on faculty needs and past usage. Books were moved in January 2020. Staff were continuously involved in refining design and furniture decisions during the construction process, scheduled for completion in September 2021. The new Wright Learning and Information Center will feature a large collaborative space and a digital learning center. Lessons learned include the necessity for constant communication among staff members and keeping in mind that users want normal library services, despite the disruptions of a construction project.

Building Trust: How Understanding Users Can Lead to Inclusive and Equitable Library Services

In the fall of 2020 interviews were conducted with students of color at Trinity International University. The goal was to better understand the experiences students of color have had with the library, how the library can be more welcoming, and ways that librarians can work toward anti-racism. This paper reports key themes from the interviews. It also describes the lessons learned about having these discussions and provides suggestions for other librarians wishing to connect more with their students of color. Engaging in intentional conversations with students of color can help librarians build relationships with students and gain valuable insights into how the library can better serve students.

Implementing Antiracism in Technical Services

It is a sad reality that racist bias is inherent in cataloging standards and collection development practices. Whether racism in cataloging and collection development practices is intentional or not, Technical Service librarians can be intentional about combatting it. This article presents three antiracist projects implemented to address racism in collection development and classification. Leslie Engelson discusses the results of an effort initiated by the music faculty to determine the representation of BIPOC in the music score collection at Waterfield Library. Brinna Michael demonstrates how racist language is represented in the Library of Congress Classification schedule and her efforts at Pitts Theology Library to update call numbers. Finally, Caitlin Soma details a diversity audit of the books assigned on course reserve at Candler School of Theology to identify potential collection gaps and to encourage faculty to develop curricula that include more diverse voices.

Mind the Wikidata Gap

Wikidata, a community-curated knowledge base related to Wikipedia, affects our access to information, wielding more power than many realize. Seeing an opportunity for improving access to knowledge and promoting their collections, libraries, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions have been experimenting with Wikidata in various ways. One burgeoning area of activity is in Wikidata’s scholarly citation data, but that participation has largely concentrated in the sciences, leaving a gap in its theological and religious studies coverage. This presentation demonstrates how this gap matters to theological libraries and shows how you can contribute to efforts to fill it, even in small ways. Delving into Wikidata can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. As long as you have basic computer skills, you can find a way to participate.

Well Done Is Better than Well Said

Heralding Benjamin Franklin as a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) can be viewed as peculiar as it sounds. Without question, Franklin's personal and professional histories as a past slaveholder, alleged womanizer, and bully are problematic. Yet, the messiness of Franklin's life with all of its inherent complications and his transformation into a champion for the oppressed makes him a ripe subject for ongoing study. Moreover, Franklin's life example can help us formulate a roadmap for how we too can evolve and transform in our thinking, allyship, and approaches to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Sunday Sounds

Rev. Dr. William Augustus Jones, Jr. was pastor of Brooklyn’s Bethany Baptist Church for over 40 years and a significant figure in the African-American community. In the mid-1970’s New Jersey radio station WFME approached him with an offer to have his Sunday sermons broadcast as The Bethany Hour in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut markets. Brooklyn College Archives has the Jones collection, which contains cassette recordings of several hundred of these sermons, as well as video recordings from the program’s short time on broadcast television. With no playback equipment for patrons, and concerned about the physical integrity of the recordings, the archives decided to digitize the materials. With a tight budget and no digitization expertise on staff, the archives applied for and won a Council on Library and Information Resources Recordings-at-Risk grant. Despite some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was made available to the public at the end of March 2021.

Unique Contributions of the Theological Librarian in Campus-Wide Programs of Faith Integration

Many Christian colleges and universities have academic programs that emphasize “faith and learning” or “faith integration.” The religious or theological studies librarian can have a unique role in assisting faculty across the disciplines to develop a better awareness of theological writings and resources that might reflect spiritual themes within their discipline. This paper will suggest ways for theological librarians to collaborate with colleagues, highlighting integrative work at Azusa Pacific University—including one-on-one and classroom resource instruction, the development and use of faith integration and special collections, integrative coursework, reading groups—and concluding with a few suggested resources.