A Welcoming Library: Hospitality and Accessibility

Theological librarians have access to ethical and spiritual resources that can be applied to enhance access to library spaces, collections, and services for guests with various accessibility needs. Four principles of hospitality - trust, welcome, imagination, and independence - help ensure that theological libraries are welcoming spaces for visitors, employees, and volunteers with various physical limitations. This chapter outlines a set of principles that can be adapted to multiple library settings, even when resources are scarce. Fundamentally, hospitality requires being able to imagine the guest's experience of a space by putting oneself in the guest's place. After developing the concept of hospitable thinking, the author suggests applications with respect to library spaces, collections, and services. The chapter includes a list of recommended open-access resources.