A Word from the Editor

Welcome to the spring issue of Theological Librarianship. I hope you enjoy the content of this issue as much as I enjoyed reading and editing it. While the content is notable, and I would definitely look at the fantastic reviews and intriguing article, I would like to make everyone aware of two current opportunities we have for writing.

First, Theological Librarianship’s Student Essay Content is open. If you are a student (of any program, whether graduate or undergraduate in any discipline) and have a curiosity for topics related to the intersections of librarianship and religious and theological studies, the editorial team strongly encourages you to consider submitting to the student essay contest. This is a great opportunity for anyone to whet their feet in publishing and scholarship. Along with publication of the essay, the award includes a cash prize, complimentary registration for an Atla conference, and a travel grant. For more information, look at the formal announcement: https://serials.atla.com/theolib/announcement/view/22. If you know of individuals who may be interested in this opportunity, please pass this opportunity on to them.

We are all familiar with the modalities of paper and text (after all, this editorial you are reading, even though it is being published online, follows a conventional paper and text format). This has been a common means of expressing ideas and thoughts for centuries. In some contexts, it works great. Much can be expressed in the written word and systems have been created making dissemination and preservation of these works (in many contexts) fairly straightforward. However, one needs to acknowledge that this is not the only means through which ideas can be expressed. As many of us are aware, prior to the development of the printing press, there were strong oral aspects utilized to share and express ideas (and this is still true to this day).

In some cases, writing may not be the best venue to present a perspective or argument. However, the venues for communicating in non-print are often few and far between. To complicate things further, some disciplines may thrive on multimodality while not having supporting venues for publishing. For other disciplines, scholarship expressed in means outside of dominant modalities is a rarity. Unfortunately, the humanities, including religious studies, theology, and biblical studies, tend to fall into the latter camp. The editorial team of Theological Librarianship acknowledges this and subsequently we announced a forum on multimodal scholarship (https://serials.atla.com/theolib/announcement/view/25).

While it may seem a bit ironic to create a forum on multimodality that will be delivered in a traditional print format, we hope to use this forum as an introductory piece to explore what multimodal scholarship looks like in arenas related to librarianship and religious studies. We are hopeful to spark curiosity and to ignite pursuits regarding how multimodal scholarship can develop and make a further impact on our communities. The editorial team is also hopeful to learn much regarding multimodality and how it can be used to further scholarship for librarians. If you are aware of multimodal scholarship taking place in the humanities, religious studies, and/or librarianship, please pass on this opportunity to communicate their work to others.

While we do ask submissions to be brief (750-1500 words), they are due soon (June 1st, 2022). If you are in the midst of working with multimodal scholarship, please consider submitting to this forum. It is a great opportunity to not only expose what you are doing, but also to impact how scholarship is perceived and practiced in 21st century libraries.

The editorial team is excited about both opportunities and where they might lead. Please help us spread the word regarding these.

Soli Deo gloria,

Garrett B. Trott

Editor-in-Chief