Volume Three of The Theological Librarian’s Handbook Now Available

Atla Open Press is pleased to announce the publication of the third volume in the series The Theological Librarian’s Handbook entitled Collection Development in Theological Libraries: Abiding Principles and Emerging Practices. The series is a multi-volume guide to theological librarianship and is intended for use by theological and religious studies library staff who do not possess professional library training and others who want to learn more about the profession. 

Contributed essays include “Creating a Useful, Accessible, & Connected Theological Library” by Jeremy Wallace; “Care and Tending of the Garden” by Leslie Engelson; “Collection Development Policies for Theological Libraries in the Digital Era” by Ward De Pril; “Constructing the Narrative” by Marta Samokishyn; “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism in Collection Development” by Anita Coleman; “Beginning the Theological Library” by Elizabeth Leahy; “Collection Assessment Is for Everyone!” by Tammy Johnson; “Reference Sources for Small Seminaries” by Yesan Sellan; “Developing Future-Proof Library Collections,” by Pieter van Wingerden; “Developing Special Collections & Archives at General Theological Seminary Post-pandemic” by Melissa Chim; and “Collaborative Collection Development” by Kerrie Burn. 

Volume editor Carisse Mickey Berryhill shares, “At this pivotal moment when educational models are changing rapidly, our international team of authors offers timely observations about abiding principles and emerging practices to guide library managers who are striving to develop useful, diverse, and accessible collections of scholarly materials. Above all, we emphasize the value of partnering with colleagues locally, regionally, and globally.” 

“With the release of this volume, we are continuing to train and support our colleagues around the world,” commented Matina Ćurić, series editor. “With this book series, we want to support them and offer them perspectives, advice, and best practices to build their collections and grow in their careers. It is an international effort that we hope will find a grateful audience worldwide, yield stronger cooperation between different theological libraries and library associations, and inspire many new initiatives, projects, and research.” 

The new volume is available as an open access PDF and EPUB under a CC-BY-NC license as well as print on demand through Amazon. Volume four of the series will be published in March 2024 on the subject of protection and preservation. Chapter proposals for this new volume are due by September 30th, 2022.