Theological Libraries for Alternative Spiritualities

Alternative spiritualities are increasingly salient and mainstream, first stepping into the light after the repeal of the Witchcraft Act in 1951 and developing at pace ever since, meaning the evolving spiritual landscape of the UK & Ireland contains a growing number of Pagans. The current information environment for practitioners is difficult and unclear – comprising a private publishing-based system distributed through book shops that serve the function of libraries, a reliance on personal closed archives owned by individuals and a prolific use of pirated materials on illegal ebook-sharing platforms. Many contemporary Pagan practices were founded in Britain, including Wicca, modern Druidry and Thelema, and contribute to the rich spiritual heritage of our sacred isles. Theological libraries within these alternative spiritualities (of which there are multiple variants) do exist, and they are described in this chapter. However, these are largely volunteer led and donations dependent, or closed to those outside of either academia, membership societies or an owner’s personal circle. This chapter proposes a range of solutions to these issues including expanding the availability of alternative publishing models, establishing social enterprises, and improving the links between academia and practitioners: all activities which require the expertise of theological and philosophical librarians.