Our library has a long wall of shelves packed with Christian novels. We are in the Revitalization stage and are letting go of many holdings in order to have more uncluttered shelves with quality materials. Many of these Christian fiction books are s
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
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.
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
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
People ask us for recommendations for devotionals even though we may not include devotional books in the collection because people would check them out for a year.
What do you recommend they purchase for devotional books for children that have devot
Our library team is wanting to make our library relevant and vibrant for our church members who have become daily users of technology and digital resources for their information. In addition to our continuing to offer physical books, we want to make
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
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
In order to make our church members more aware of the wonderful resources in our library, it has been suggested that we plan some special "events" to draw our members into the actual physical library.
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.
" Make new friends, but keep the old, One is silver and the other gold"--a song we used to sing in Girl Scouts. I find myself caught in this juxtaposition--wanting to keep the best of our established library, but looking for new ways to move forward
The audit committee at my church is conducting an "asset inventory" for insurance purposes. This includes the library. Has anyone else been part of a project like this, and can you offer any suggestions on how to prepare for it and assist with it?
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?
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?
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
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
