Discard to Discovery Empowering Majority World Theological Libraries Through Book Donations

Abstract

In an era when information is paramount, ensuring equitable access to knowledge remains a critical challenge as information divides persist and even widen across many regions of the world. As a librarian in a theological library and of Korean descent, I recognise the profound importance of theological resources and their transformative power. Historical evidence shows that theology books and the Bible significantly influenced the history of Christianity in Korea even before the arrival of missionaries. Given the remarkable impact of these resources, it is essential to establish connections between surplus theological books in the UK and the libraries of rapidly growing theological training centres and educational institutions in the majority world, which are in desperate need of such materials. To address this need, the Oxford Theology Resources Link was founded in late 2023 to deliver surplus theological books from the West to the Global South. This article explores the rationale behind it and outlines the initiative’s foundational principles: providing high-quality academic resources, empowering recipients to choose their own books, and offering ongoing support for the sustainability of the receiving libraries.