Mapping the Landscape of Theological Libraries in Scotland: The Last Seventy Years

“Mapping the landscape of theological libraries in Scotland: the last seventy years “ offers a journey through the changes and continuities of theological libraries in Scotland. The Guides to Theological and Religious Studies Collections in the UK & Ireland, published by ABTAPL, are used as a basis to explore the changes in Scottish theological libraries since 1956. Library histories are examined through a reflective lens of their purposes as theological libraries, tracing their impact for research and scholarship, ministry training, evangelism, religious cultural heritage and more. The chapter highlights the close inter-relationships between church and University libraries in Scotland which have sustained these libraries over the last seventy years. It offers an analysis of the underlying forces—institutional, cultural, and technological—that have shaped the paths of theological libraries. Finally, the chapter explores possible future directions that ABTAPL can take to support and to engage with theological libraries in Scotland.