Q&A

Mission Trips

In thinking about the summer, we will have multiple teams going to Honduras for mission trips.  I would like to build up our small selection of books about missions. As we are reducing the number of holdings in our library and are desiring to have th

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Christian Fiction for men

Looking for recommendations for Christian fiction novels for men.

Thanks!

First Baptist Church, Kingsport, TN

 

Jonna Bridgeman replied:

All of Charles Martin's books would be good. 

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Summer Plans

I'm thinking about our summer plans--the window emphasis, summer reading programs, etc. It is our nation's 250th anniversary, so I'm planning to work along that theme. 
i would welcome any and all ideas--particularly the reading challenges! 
Thanks! 

B

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Recommended Books about United States Presidents?

Great day to share titles of books about United States Presidents. What do you have in your church's collection?

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How Millennials and Gen Z Are Driving a Bible Reading Comeback

Have you seen the November 2025 Barna report titled about this comback? Click here to read the report. You will need to click in the blank space following the introduction if you do not see the graphics.

I wonder how many of our churches/Parishes/Sy

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Revitalization Needs

From Stephanie Richardson

I am just getting started with revitalizing my church's library. It is a beautiful space, but for years has been a dumping ground for books that people want to get rid of - resulting in a collection of books that no one want

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Attracting more patrons

Jonna Bridgman requests the following:

My church library is slowly dying. I am the only staff. I have moved it three times. The last move was to the old choir room. The choir officially died. I need more patrons! I need ideas on how to attract more p

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Read the Bible Through 2026

I'm sure my church is not the only one launching an emphasis to Read the Bible through the coming year. I just finished the 2025 plan. The new plan for 2026 focuses on the New Testament. One difference that I am sure will draw more people to particip

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Purchasing Shelves

One of our new members is starting a new church library. They need shelves. Any recommendations?

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Highly Recommended Practical Real-Life Books

 Dr. Paul T. Jackson asked me to post the following as a discussion starter. What would you add.

Here’s a focused starter list of practical, everyday-life books that many church libraries find helpful for patrons—resources that support people facing

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Exporting a catalog to another software vendor?

We have been told recently that our library may have to change from Follett to Surpass due to Follett pricing continuing to rise.  Also, we are so behind on Follett updates that if we upgraded, our server would not be able to support Follett. Would t

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Reading Time for Children

Also, do many churches have reading time for children? If so, what time of the week and how did you develop it? Would you consider it a ministry of the church or just an offering to parents to encourage reading? 

Denise Roberts

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Book Clubs

Do many people have book clubs in their church, and if so, how is it done, and how has it been received? 

Denise Roberts

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Purging Books Today

How do librarians purge books? I know this has been discussed before, but as newer books are becoming increasingly "edgy," should we be keeping some of the older "tried & true" and if so, what criteria could we use to make our decisions? 

Denise Robe

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Church Librarians Network Q&A Topics

Do you have a topic or question you would like for me to post for you. Reply here to share it with me. I will post it for you.

Morlee

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Shifts in Library Training Models

We have several CLN members who are on conference teams who plan training events for librarians. One complaint that these planners often hear is “I’ve already heard him or her speak so I don’t need to go to that session.” OR “I want to experience som

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5 Shifts for Our Churches in 2026

Recently I viewed a very interesting webinar that intrigued my thoughts about 2026.

Carey Nieuwhof is a Canadian pastor and a leadership expert known for helping church leaders thrive in a rapidly changing world. Recently, he did a free webinar title

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Building a Different World?

As I prepared for the Tennessee Library Conference that took place this past Saturday, I collected random quotes to share in specific sessions.

For my first session, I planned to use the following quote as a conclusion to our focus on Revitalizing o

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Library Desk Books for Today's Libraries

 

We have discussed the Desk Book in the past. Click here to find some ideas for organizing and what to include in a Desk Book. This relates to the idea of being prepared when someone suddenly steps away from the library team. The free book Church Li

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Preteen, Middle School, and/or High School Book Clubs During the School Year?

We are familiar with book clubs/challenges during the summer. How about during the school year? Anyone have experience with this approach during the school year?

During this summer we had 2 reading group sessions for preteens. Sort of like test runs

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