Libraries throughout the country are increasingly tasked with supporting online learning programs, and the Brown Library at Abilene Christian University is no exception. ACU’s Graduate School of Theology (GST) has been growing its online programs (the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, and Master of Arts in Global Service), and a significant portion of library resources are devoted to supporting online theological studies. Dr. Mindi Thompson, Associate Professor and Director of Distance Education in the GST, recently estimated that approximately 60% of students currently enrolled in the GST were classified as “online” (2016-17 academic year), and that number will likely grow in the future. The library will continue to partner with the GST, as well as ACU Dallas, to support these programs.
Library support for online theology programs includes both human and material resources (largely digital content for the latter). Almost all library staff and student workers contribute work that supports online theology programs at some level, but three positions are mentioned here. Craig Churchill, Theological Librarian, oversees collection development, including a growing corpus of digital content (especially ebooks and full-text journal articles); provides reference assistance; conducts bibliographic instruction; and helps develop interpretive aids and guides for using the collection (including “LibGuides”). Melissa Atkinson is Online Learning Librarian, a position created specifically to work with ACU distance students at ACU Dallas (including GST).
The Online Learning Librarian offers assistance for GST students such as troubleshooting access issues, help with research topics, and instruction in database search techniques through telephone, email, and chat. Atkinson has also collaborated with Churchill on the creation of LibGuides for theology. Avery Weems, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, manages the growing number of Interlibrary Loan requests associated with distance education. Many core works in theology are unavailable in electronic form; the ILL department enables distance students to access much of this print content.
The opportunities and challenges associated with providing library support for distance education will likely grow in the future—as will the ongoing need for resources. Through partnerships with the GST and ACU Dallas, the library will play a critical role in support of online Theology programs.