Incorporating Concepts of Hospitality into Theological Library Assessment

Abstract

Following the completion of a year-long library space utilization study, the Princeton Theological Seminary Library sought new ways of shaping questions about library space and library assessment overall. The concept of “hospitality,” as it has been so interestingly articulated in the literature of theological librarianship, provided the library with a challenging conceptual foothold in shaping new assessment questions. This essay reflects on the “hospitality” concept in relation to three assessment areas of interest to theological libraries: information literacy, scholarly impact, and the library as workplace.