Dr. Carisse Berryhill, Special Collections Librarian, recently published an essay, “What are Theological Libraries?” in Introduction to Theological Libraries, a free open-access volume on theological libraries around the world. Published in February 2020 by Atla Open Press, the book is a project of Atla’s International Theological Librarianship Education Task Force and was edited by Matina Ćurić of the Missionsbibliothek und katholische Dokumentationsstelle in Aachen, Germany. It includes contributions in English from librarians around the world on the state of theological libraries in their areas.
Introduction to Theological Libraries is the first volume in a series to be published by Atla Open Press as The Theological Librarian’s Handbook. The ITLE Task Force was appointed to develop professional resources for librarians managing theological libraries in locations where library education is relatively inaccessible. Besides producing the book series, the task force conducted an invitational institute for librarians from developing countries in connection with the Atla Annual Conference 2019.
The book is available for free download in several electronic formats. Print-on-demand copies are also for sale at Atla Open Press. Dr. Berryhill has taught an Atla-sponsored course on theological librarianship online yearly at the University of Illinois iSchool since 2005.