The Barna research team has discovered interesting results in regard to adult Bible reading. Click here to read the article. They use the words "spike" and "surge" in this article which I find fascinating and curious for us.
Let's read this article then discuss the opportunities for us as librarians.
For example, a week ago a mother of a Gen Z asked me about study Bibles because her son expressed an interest in reading the Bible. I showed her our Bible commentary section which has a variety of commentary series. But I was shocked to discover we have a limited collection of study Bibles. And our interim youth minister asked me if I would assist him in developing a Bible library in the youth building. Our team is feeling God's nudge to get with Him on meeting this emerging interest in His book.
After reading this article, let's share ideas about ways to engage this Bible reading comeback.
Replies
What steps await us as we take the results of this research seriously?
Babs is raising great questions for us to chew on. I have not had time yet to add the study Bibles I mentioned above. Part of our motivation is to have study Bibles in our collection to help our users select a study Bible(s) to purchase. Same approach to having Bibles on display as people enter the library. People like to feel and hold a Bible before purchasing. In a way we are a store display room, but not the place to purchase Bibles. We are adding study Bibles to that display but these will be in our collection for checkout too. We apply the same checkout criteria as we do our other books.
Are you ordering two of the same study Bible so that one is on display and one is available for check-out?
Right now I am getting 1 for both purposes due to budget limits.
So--I consider myself a"newbie" with lots to learn and full of questions!
Bibles: we have many Bibles on our shelves--different translations, etc., as well as different languages. These fill 2 average bookshelves. As our team is working to reduce the number of holdings in our whole library and identify "the best of the best", it seems we should evaluate this Bible section with this same viewpoint. Do we keep every Bible, simply because it is the Bible, God's holy word?
Assuming that every Bible in our collection aligns with our denomination's beliefs and doctrines, what guidelines do you use to select which Bibles get to stay on the shelf?
What criteria would you use to remove one ( such as same translation)? Ex. - should we keep every copy of the NIV because they are different publications?
What would prompt you to order a new publication of a Bible?
When you have many Bibles/Study Bibles on the shelf, how do you see them being used?
Being checked out to a member, like any book?
Only to be used as reference while a patron is in the library, not to be checked out?
Thanks for your input!