The annual Atla Summary of Proceedings is a historical record of the Annual Conference of Atla.
Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
An Interview with Dr. Lynn Silipigni Connaway
Copyright (c) 2025 Lynn Silipigni Connaway, James Estes, Megan E. Welsh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 James A. Estes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 John Kutsko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This report discusses the integration of the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA) into Atla, focusing on the history of CRRA, its current state within Atla, and the future outlook for this collaboration. Opportunities and challenges are presented.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mark Shelton, Brian Morin, Gillian Harrison Cain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Prepare Your Library for an ATS Accreditation Visit
When an institution is preparing for an ATS Accreditation visit, the library needs to prepare as well. This article provides a brief history of how the new Standards of Accreditation were created in 2020, including the philosophy guiding the standards. It outlines ways to prepare a library that covers Standard 6, which is the library standard. In the article, a reader learns how to collect data, write the narrative for Standard 6, and provide the evaluation team with conclusions and recommendations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kelly Campbell, Andy Keck https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Amir Hussain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Beth Kumar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
It’s not every professional association whose structure includes denominations. Why does Atla? What are these denominations, and how do they connect with Atla’s member institutions and organizational aims? In this panel paper, T. Patrick Milas surveys the history of Atla’s theological and faith-based aspects, with a focus on denominational groups and related conference worship/devotions. This is followed by a question-and-answer session with panelists representing the Anglican/Episcopal, Anabaptist/Mennonite, Roman Catholic, and Presbyterian/Reformed denominational groups. Each representative discusses different aspects of their involvement and activities within denominational groups along with their perspectives on the activities, needs, and strengths of these groups, in order to discern and inspire their group’s denominational identities and role within Atla.
Copyright (c) 2025 T. Patrick Milas, Alison Poage, Karl Stutzman, David Kriegh, Robin McCall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Weeding Physical Collections for the Library of the Future
The turn toward digital resources has come with blessings and challenges. Electronic journals are quickly accessible and have, more or less, diminished the need for print journal collections. Electronic books afford simultaneous usage from an entire class and so can offer an affordable textbook alternative. In addition, the move toward Open Educational Resources is also facilitated by digital resources. Nevertheless, theological libraries (like other humanities disciplines) still see a valid need for physical, printed books and resources. In this session, I discuss my personal weeding story with an emphasis on how it impacted library space; and focus on the way that the physical collection will be used in the future. The weeding of a library is not only a part of routine maintenance, but it also should be responsive to the needs of library patrons and the institutions to which the library belongs.
Copyright (c) 2025 David Kiger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
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.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hannie Riley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Learn More About the Atla Board and its Work
The Atla Board of Directors is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of Atla and ensuring that it meets the needs of its members. Rather than transcribing what was a largely informal question-and-answer and listening session, this article highlights the primary concerns, structural processes, and relationship-building efforts that characterize the Board’s governance model. The session provided insights into the Board’s composition, the concerns of both Board members and the general membership, and the Board’s engagement strategies to strengthen relationships and ensure effective governance. The session also offered an opportunity for Board members to gather feedback from constituent members, known as the “moral owners.”
Copyright (c) 2025 Susan Ebertz, Beth Kumar, Jérémie LeBlanc, Karl Stutzman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This panel featured four individuals who, despite being relatively young, each have meaningful experiences in the field of theological education and libraries. The panelists reflected on their diverse pathways to theological librarianship and delved into the field’s current landscape, including emerging trends, technological advancements, and changing user expectations. Towards the end of the session, panelists turned their attention to professional associations, such as Atla, and discussed their role in our development and growth.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jessica Boyer, Andy Lofthus, Elizabeth Miller, Emily Peterson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Politics of Library Science in Weimar Germany
In 1923, the famous theologian-librarian Adolf von Harnack responded to an essay written by Ferdinand Eichler, Director of the University Library at Graz, titled “Library Science as Science of Value, Library Politics as World Politics.” In the exchange, the two librarians took opposing sides in a discussion about the purpose of academic libraries and collection development. Eichler’s idealistic and universalist approach saw librarianship as a “science over the sciences” that held a unique responsibility for world culture through its responsibility for books. Harnack, on the other hand, took a more pragmatic approach and recognized the limitations posed by political economy to the mission and practices of the library. Although published a century ago, the political pressures and vocational ideals discussed in these essays remain surprisingly relevant for theological librarianship. This paper highlights Harnack’s underappreciated role as the director of the Royal Prussian Library, discusses the Eichler-Harnack exchange, and introduces excerpts from the two essays translated into English for the first time.
Copyright (c) 2025 Evan Francis Kuehn https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Tools and Technology for Teaching the History of the Book at a Theological Library
This presentation explores methods for teaching the history of the book within a theological library context. The first part highlights the significance of teaching this subject in theological or religious education settings. The second section delves into letterpress printing, offering various approaches to demonstrate its use from traditional metal type to modern technologies such as 3D printing and CNC machines. The third section focuses on instructional strategies for teaching the history of the book in the library. The final section examines how to effectively showcase aspects of book history through exhibitions. The presentation bridges the traditional world of books with the modern trend of libraries as centers for creative thinking and innovation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Brandon Wason https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This paper presents practical lessons that I learned while preparing, conducting, and reviewing a significant pruning project at Colorado Christian University (CCU) between 2018-2024. I will first share some details about CCU and its library collection, provide a definition for “pruning,” and then share practical lessons I learned in the past few years that I did not see discussed while reviewing publications dealing with library pruning: Lessons how to better prepare for such a project, lessons about how to formulate evaluation criteria, lessons about the workflow, lessons how to use the library’s integrated library system (ILS) and Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), lessons I learned about better communication, post-project lessons (and potential future plans), and finally the lessons that should not be repeated by anybody: foolish lessons.
Copyright (c) 2025 Oliver Schulz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This paper explores the integration of AI tools like Transkribus and ChatGPT in creating a digital edition of Anton Brelochs’s 1529 Practica Teutsch. The research uses the rare intact copy at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library to assess the efficacy of AI in transcription, translation, and tagging processes. Key questions include AI’s role in identifying and correcting transcription errors, speeding up translations to enhance accessibility, and automating TEI XML tagging. The study highlights both the strengths and limitations of these AI tools, concluding that while they offer valuable assistance, human oversight remains crucial for accuracy and scholarly reliability. Additionally, the paper examines AI’s potential in interpreting historical illustrations, such as the astrological woodcut in Brelochs’s work, demonstrating its capabilities in suggesting plausible identifications of depicted figures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nathan R. Ericson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Art has long been part of sacred texts in many religious faiths, notably as decorative, stylized, and illuminated calligraphy. How scripture was presented aesthetically carried sacred significance. In modern times, it is common to leave artistic expression of scripture to either paid professionals or children—but writing, illustrating, or artistically responding to scripture can be a devotional practice available to anyone. This paper discusses ways to recover creatively engaging with sacred texts as inspiration and medium, provides examples of creative spiritual engagement in practice, and discusses ways to engage students through related active and passive programming. Session attendees were given time and supplies for the practice of creative spiritual engagement and to share their experience of it. The session was accessible to a variety of religious traditions by allowing participants to choose their own sacred text with which to work.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jude Morrissey, Karl Stutzman https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Benefits and Challenges of Developing a Multilingual Library
As online instruction allows universities to reach a global audience, there is a rising demand to offer courses and resources in multiple languages. This conversation session shared participants’ collective concerns and hurdles, along with their best practices and successes when developing multilingual collections in their libraries.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stephanie Garrett https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Research and Learning in Theological Education
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence presents an unprecedented disruption and opportunity for higher education, and particularly for theological education. The future of learning and work will be shaped and reshaped by this technology and its implementation in our institutions. This workshop is designed to provide some foundational frameworks, concepts, and information and make the case that theological librarians and libraries must assert themselves at the center of these conversations within their institutions. Implications for theological libraries and librarians and theological education more broadly are explored.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Hanegan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Role of the Theological Library in Scholarly Formation
Scholarly formation of seminary students has parallels to the discipline of spiritual formation, primarily in offering the seeker a structured set of practices toward the goal of maturity. In a religious order, a candidate seeking spiritual maturity enters a community whose rule of life forms the candidate through spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, study, confession, and service. In the academic setting, the telos of scholarly maturity involves librarians as members of the formational community which admits aspiring scholars to the academic disciplines of the curriculum, such as reading, study, courses and fieldwork, and writing, alongside community exercises of worship, meals, and prayer.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jessica Chisholm Holland, Carisse Mickey Berryhill https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Intended for any audience, this is a beginner’s guide to inclusively interacting with transgender patrons in a library setting. We hope you will find information about creating a welcoming environment and providing resources to transgender persons. The session was meant to be an informational session regardless of institutional background or religious identity. The presenters relayed a selection of key terms and points of awareness relevant to the transgender community. We did not intend this to be a discussion on the validity or authenticity of identities, but rather a guide to interactions that allow library professionals to reduce library anxiety for a specific population.
Copyright (c) 2025 Elli Cucksey, Suzanne Taylor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Our session originated from our experience in responding to faculty questions about generative artificial intelligence and its use in class assignments. We addressed this issue with a faculty development session and the creation of a LibGuide in which we answered basic questions about AI mechanics, the need for an AI plagiarism policy, ideas for assignments less susceptible to AI use, and ideas for introducing AI to students. As we prepared resources for our faculty, we learned that AI use for class assignments presents challenges far beyond the typical concerns about plagiarism detection, including issues with pedagogical, moral, and ethical implications, and became increasingly convinced that AI education is not only advisable but necessary in the seminary classroom. We also learned that our faculty, like university faculty across the country, were hesitant to address this challenging topic. Librarians, who regularly adapt to changing technology, can take the lead and support faculty in navigating the many issues arising from AI use. We identify three areas of collaboration: developing AI policies, teaching about the moral and ethical concerns regarding AI use, and crafting assignments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dyan Barbeau, Kathy Harty https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
As one thinks about the transitions and career moves in one’s professional life, succession planning may be something to consider. Succession planning may also be utilized for short term absences such as vacation or sabbaticals. Whether one leaves all the responsibilities until one returns or cross-trains someone to do the tasks or do some of the tasks while “gone” needs to be contemplated. Feelings of obligation to the organization may determine how much energy is spent in the process. The session will look at identifying and developing skills within the library staff and mentoring the staff not only for the library but for future jobs they may have. Succession planning also involves preparing supervisors and administration in order to help manage the transitions and changes that will inevitably arise when staff leave or have a new position within the organization. The session ended with a time for discussion.
Copyright (c) 2025 Susan Ebertz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
What If There Are No “Good” Sources of Information?
The last decade has seen major shifts in culture, the information landscape, and library instruction. For most of that time, librarians have focused on helping students question information sources, in part a reaction to the rise in misinformation and disinformation, and in part in response to specific requests from our communities who look to the library as a source of “good” information. Yet, students are still not critical enough of external information that aligns with previous beliefs, and hypercritical of external information that does not, reinforcing polarized thinking. There has been a paradigm shift in the information environment and among our students, specifically that our students’ struggle with evaluating authority may stem from over-critical approaches to research and increasing lack of trust in expertise. If this is true, continuing to teach heavily deconstructive approaches is not only unhelpful, it may contribute to the issue. This session ended with some thoughts on ways librarians might engage kindness, curiosity, and generosity to adapt our instruction to this new paradigm.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kate Wimer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
How should theological librarians think about and respond to the advent of AI in theological education? What role(s) might theological librarians have in this brave new world? How is AI similar to, and different from, other information technology revolutions (writing, printing, the internet)? Should institutions of theological education consider pursing a kind of new monasticism, leaving the decadent dystopia into which we seem to be heading for the purity of quill and parchment? While we may be unable to provide definite answers, this session offered a forum for raising, considering, and discussing these and related questions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Brady Alan Beard, Allison Graham, Emily Peterson , David Edward Schmersal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Lessons Learned in Setting Up Atla’s New Online Institutional Repository (ir.atla.com)
In 2023, Atla launched a new online, open access Institutional Repository (IR) for theological schools (ir.atla.com). In this Listen & Learn session, audience members had the opportunity to learn about this IR platform and IRs in general from the librarian who manages Atla’s IR, as well as two library directors who have used Atla’s platform to build electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) repositories for their institutions. Christy Karpinski, the Atla Digital Initiatives Librarian, provided an overview of Atla’s IR platform and its capabilities. Yasmine Abou-El-Kheir and John Dechant (Library Directors at the Chicago Theological Seminary and Meadville Lombard Theological School, respectively) detailed their experiences in subscribing to the platform and using it to advance their schools’ institutional goals and mission statements. The three presenters showed how Atla’s IR looks and functions, as well as how it can improve the impact of students’ scholarship and the visibility of the institution. Audience members learned strategies for successfully proposing an IR to school leaders and gained insights into different workflows for building and maintaining an ETD program.
Copyright (c) 2025 Yasmine Abou-El-Kheir, John Dechant, Christy Karpinski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) Library in Berkeley, California, has implemented significant changes to reduce its physical and budgetary footprint while enhancing access to resources. Serving a diverse consortium of theological schools, the library has consolidated its collections, digitized materials, and expanded digital services. By reducing its physical space and increasing reliance on electronic resources and shared print programs, the library has supported the GTU’s financial goals and improved service to distant students and faculty. The collaboration with the Internet Archive has been pivotal in preserving rare materials. Despite budget cuts and staff reductions, the library remains a critical resource hub, leveraging technology and partnerships to maintain comprehensive access to theological content and exploring new affiliations to extend its reach.
De-Homogenizing Liberation Theologies in the Catalog and on the Shelves
Liberation theologies are not monolithic, varying widely across geography and denominations. That rich diversity, however, is rarely reflected in the catalog with subject headings, or on the shelves with limited classification options. This paper discusses a project undertaken by the authors to address significant gaps in the representation of Liberation Theology in the catalog and stacks. First, the authors supplemented existing subject headings with geographic, denominational, and historical context to improve the search, discovery, and assessment experience for patrons within the catalog. Second, they developed a local expansion of the official Library of Congress Classification for Liberation theology (BT83.57) with subclassifications, including General works (.A1), General Catholic works (.A2), General Protestant works (.A3), and By region or country (.A4-Z). In the conclusion, the authors reflect on the challenges of the project, future steps, and methods of applying this process to other areas of theological study.
Copyright (c) 2025 Déborah Ortiz-Rivera, Brinna Michael https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0