Methodist
Members Present
- Lee Webb, Saint Paul School of Theology
- Wes Custer, Asbury Theological Seminary
- Andy Keck, Perkins School of Theology
Guests Present
- Bo Adams, Candler School of Theology, representing the Atla Board
Agenda
- Atla Board Listening Session: Bo Adams, on behalf of Board President Leslie Engelson, asked for feedback on the five values of the Association. There were two primary points of discussion.
- The first centered on the challenges of collection development in the changing environment of theological education, characterized by remote learning and the shift to program types other than the traditional MDiv.
- The second centered on the gradual erosion of library representation in the ATS accreditation process and revision of accreditation standards.
- The formal response to the prompt for feedback was thus to suggest that the Association could and should play an important role in collective action on behalf of member libraries in both areas.
Round Robin Report
Custer: Asbury is anticipating the arrival of a new president starting July 1. The archives team is digitizing a large body of American Holiness materials for Asbury’s ePLACE repository.
Keck: Bridwell Press is off and running, currently funded by outside sources but with plans to establish an endowment to sustain its operation. Perkins launched a Spanish-language MDiv in 2024, and the Press is hoping to curate and publish some translations. Bridwell Library will be renovating a space starting this summer dedicated to Methodist research, and a space for a small collection of antiquities.
Adams: Candler has been working on a short deadline to process disaffiliating church archives. The North Georgia Conference had 252 disaffiliations. Candler received a grant, together with other local institutions, to digitize these records along with some Baptist and Presbyterian records.