The Circle

We all have stories to share in regard to our library ministries. What is a recent experience that you would like to share with us? Let's imagine we are sitting in a circle around a firepit during a Fall evening.

A few of us participated in this excellent webinar last Thursday (April 17, 2025). Let’s share highlights of what we learned during this webinar through the comments. 

Thank you, Jo Monohan, moderator of this webinar, for inviting us to participate.

Yesterday was the annual Youth Ministers Preaching Day across the world according our youth minister, David Reed, who preached a great sermon! He made a great point that made me think about our new year ahead for libraries. The title of his sermon wa

Ruthe Turner sent this email to their friends over the weekend. She let us include us in her Friends. Interesting to read how they are handling their difficult situation.

Dear Friends,

We wanted to let you know that your library items have been renew

During the April 2023 Disciple Leaders Network conference, we learned a lot about the importance of relationships in our churches today. Dr. Shelly Melia, Director of the Children's Ministry Masters Program, Dallas Baptist University, did an outstand

Here's a video tour of the Central Baptist Church, Decatur, AL with an interview by Eva Nell and her pastor, Rob Jackson. Lots of ideas here! Also a great time to remember our friend and leader, Eva Nell Hunter.

The final reason stated by Lavender and Flack is conservation of our Baptist heritage. If your denomination is not Baptist, replace Baptist with the name of your denomination. Since 1934 when this book was published, Southern Baptists had a program t

Why Have a Church Library? Flake’s 6th Reason

Let’s continue our discussion starters stemming from the list of reasons found in Arthur Flake and Leona Lavender’s book. Their 6^th reason is Church Worker’s Need for Special Books. Let’s start a discussi

Their 5^th reason is A General Lack of Available Books.They admit that “there are more books in the world than any person could possibly read in ten lifetimes.” But they point out the lack of library services in many places in the United States during

Back in the 1920s and many years to follow, our two authors would never have thought of digital books. As you read what they wrote about the power of the printed page, include ebooks in all of their points. 

Direct quote from The Church Library Manua

Flake’s third reason was “A Need for Reading Guidance.” What are we doing today to meet that need? If you missed the introduction to this discussion, click here.

Flake and Lavender quoted a question that is still true for readers today: "Do you know

Flake’s first reason was the fact that special libraries were found in most institutions in his day because they cannot trust other sources for its library sevices. These institutions include universities, colleges, high schools, hospitals, prisons,

A common issue for church librarians these days seems to be the challenges some of us face with the leaders of our churches. While I am not seeing any increase in the numbers of churches closing their libraries, I am seeing an increase in the number

Yesterday my sister, Diane Moody, shared with me a note she received from a reader. God used this note to nudge her to keep on writing her current book. That note gave her the confidence she needed to keep going.

As we talked, it dawned on me that yo

What problems are challenging our church’s/synagogue’s library teams? Let’s encourage each other with our prayers and encouragement. Perhaps there is comfort in finding out that our teams are not the only ones facing that challenge. Or we may find so

We would love to see pictures of your church's library decorations and displays. Click here to open Photos then click on the red button in the top right corner of the photos. 

And we would love to know what your team plans to do beyond decorating. Ar

Nancy Martin emailed me last week asking about connecting with others who use Quick Cataloging with their online catalogs. She would like to add more libraries to her church’s catalog Quick Cataloging settings. 

If you would like to participate in sh

Any VBS experiences to share for this summer?

Let's continue our reflection on Dr. Stauffer's list of predictions. Here's Number 5:

"A newfound appreciation for in-person fellowship, worship and singing will continue to emerge. After months of being apart and looking at a TV or computer screen,