A Broadening Conversation: Classic Readings in Theological Librarianship

From 2006:  As the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) celebrates its 60th anniversary, some of the best contributions to the field are brought together in this single-volume anthology. Chapters containing essays and papers from the past sixty years of the association are grouped into six parts (the character of theological librarianship, theological librarians at work, the theological librarian as educator, contexts and constituencies, reflections and reminiscences, and changes and challenges), each of which is introduced by a present-day theological librarian.

This collection is many things: a compendium of wisdom and best practices from several generations, an explanation of how ATLA's importance and influence as an association has grown over time, even an illumination of the life and work of many fine librarians, including Raymond Morris of Yale Divinity Library and Julia Pettee of Union Theological Seminary. A Broadening Conversation affirms that, rather than an ethos of tradition and continuity, a combination of routine and perpetual change has always been at the heart of theological librarianship thus making it such a challenging and rewarding vocation.

In 2018, a new introduction was added by Dr. Carisse Berryhill and the book was reprinted as an electronic open access text under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license.