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Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

From Achievements To New Possibilities, Clyde R. Root

The Christian Librarian

It’s the year of Jubilation.The ACL has been in existence for fifty years now. The first meeting of the Christian Librarians’ Fellowship was held at Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) in 1956. There were only five librarians in attendance.The organization has come a long way from its humble beginnings to its present permanent headquarters in Cedarville, Ohio. I wrote an article on the 25th anniversary back in 1982. It is time to reflect on ACL’s past successes and achievements since 1982 and look to what possibilities the future holds.

When God Builds A House, Carol Reid

The Christian Librarian

“Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Psalm 127:1 Let me paraphrase: “Except the Lord build the association, we are wasting our time.”

The Bible has many illustrations about building. Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman builds her house.” In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus talks about the wise man who builds his house on the rock. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus describes the man who builds the tower, but first sits down to decide how much it costs (14:28). The cornerstone is Peter’s construction metaphor in 1 Peter 2. Paul describes building materials in 1 Corinthians …

Establishing A Deacidification Regimen As Part Of Collection Stewardship, John Doncevic

The Christian Librarian

Preservationists have long warned about the impending loss of items because of acidic paper. Any librarian who has worked with older materials knows that this warning is compelling. The risk is even more pronounced for the Christian library, especially libraries serving small denominational colleges and seminaries, because they often contain old and rare material, such as denominational historical accounts or small-run monographs, items that secular libraries may have long since discarded. These may be the last copies of an item.

An option for non-brittle acidic material is deacidification. The deacidification process has evolved to the point where it is effective …

Frontmatter (The Christian Librarian 49:2)

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Anniversary Greetings From The Friends Of Acl, Alice Ruleman

The Christian Librarian

For our special 50th anniversary issue,we decided to replace our usual News & Views section with greetings from friends of ACL. We contacted companies who have been involved in our vender exhibits, previous keynote speakers and pre-conference presenters, organizations that ACL and our member libraries have relationships with, past-presidents and the wonderful members of ACL. Many have graciously responded and shared their well wishes and memories of the Association. I hope that you are as touched as I have been as you read these greetings.

The Face Of Acl In 2010, Linda Poston

The Christian Librarian

As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Association of Christian Librarians, it is exciting to dream about the next fifty years. What will the library profession look like? Where will technology take us? What kind of legacy will we leave?

But five years are a bit more realistic and most of us will still be around in five years!

It was to this end that I gave an assignment to each of the Board of Directors at the mid-year October 2005 Board Meeting. We spent a couple of hours on Saturday morning answering two questions. First, “Where do we …

Unto Edification: A Quarter Century Of The Christian Librarian, Ron Jordahl

The Christian Librarian

This editor sincerely wishes it were possible to honor today the invitation extended in the first issue of The Christian Librarian: " If you would like to receive this newsletter regularly, send $.50." lt was worth every penny of it, and we trust that those early editors would be able to say the same of The Christian. Librarian as it appears today at current prices.

What Acl Means To Me, John E. Shaffett

The Christian Librarian

I was a librarian for ten years before I heard about the Association of Christian Librarians.Three years ago, a friend asked me if I was a member of the ACL. I asked him what the acronym stood for. I assumed it was a sub-group of the American Library Association. He told me it stood for the Association of Christian Librarians. I looked up their web-site and was impressed.

Reading, Writing And Power, John Allen Delivuk

The Christian Librarian

This article’s goal is to discuss the relationship between reading, writing and power. (Unfortunately, space forbids more than an introduction to this topic.) We live in a postmodern society where some people doubt whether truth is knowable. I will show that the power of the written word is great enough so that receptive readers can overcome the barriers against understanding it as the author meant it, and therefore reading can teach the truth. Obviously, this statement will be qualified at a later point. While this article will center on power, it is inseparable from the other traits of literature.The biblical …

What Acl Means To Me, Tami Echavarria Robinson

The Christian Librarian

Imagine not knowing that Christian higher education or The Association of Christian Librarians existed. Being surrounded by a secular world in your profession and having no one that you knew to discuss the issues in librarianship who shared a Christian perspective. It’s an isolated position to be in, but it was just how it was. At the time I had no idea that there was an alternative.

Building Connections Between First-Year Students And The Academic Library, Betsy Barefoot Edd

The Christian Librarian

It is an honor to be with you here on this lovely campus. This is not my first trip to Indiana Wesleyan. I have many friends here and recently worked closely with Indiana Wesleyan’s faculty and staff in a major yearlong self-study and improvement planning process for the first year. I very much appreciate the invitation extended to me by Sheila Carlblom to reflect with you about your important role in Christian college settings and how what you do – helping students become knowledgeable and ethical seekers and consumers of information – is so important. In my remarks this morning, …

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Politically Correct Science: Why Johnny Can’T Read Scientific Creationism, Bart J. Stinson

The Christian Librarian

The playing field is far from level in the contest between Evolutionism and Scientific Creationism. Science faculty with ambitions to move up to larger universities are unlikely to assign readings in Creation Science. Scientists who express doubts about Evolutionism are punished for straying from orthodoxy. Scientific publishers are generally unwilling to accept manuscripts from Creationist researchers and theorists. Secular review sources either neglect Creationist works altogether or are so uniformly hostile and dismissive that they are not useful for separating the wheat from the chaff. Unless librarians muster the integrity and professional diligence to collect robustly in Scientific Creationism, a …

Cut-And-Paste Plagiarism: Teaching Student Researchers Boundaries, Tami Echavarria Robinson

The Christian Librarian

Librarians affiliated with educational institutions, as members of an academic community, participate in teaching students and future scholars how they share in the responsibility of upholding ethical standards of scholarship and values of academic honesty. Academic honesty, in its variant forms,was part of issues in education long before the introduction of computers. Two forms, plagiarism and copyright infringement, were chronic problems in the print realm and present additional dimensions in today’s electronic environment. The causes of copyright infringement and plagiarism are extensive and complex. Divergent positions are represented in the literature on how to deal with these issues. They are …

Spiritual Literacy: A New Concept For A New Reality, Felicia A. Smith

The Christian Librarian

The idea of literacy is prevalent in today’s society, especially among librarians.There is much discussion of technological literacy and the digital divide. There are volumes written on cultural literacy and how we interact with different groups such as younger generations. There are books dedicated specifically to literacy in the 21st century. There are growing specialized “literacies” but none dealing with religion, per se. It is critical that librarians are aware of spiritual undertones inherent in information, in order to provide balanced information to patrons.

Letter From The Editor-In-Chief, Anne-Elizabeth Powell

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Association Of Christian Librarians, Ivy Olson

The Christian Librarian

Have you known of an organization that has survived for 25 years without a salaried personnel, where no one has gone on strike for higher wages or overtime pay, or where no one has asked about retirement benefits or federal aid? Yet this organization has grown constantly, is regularly putting out two publications, never lacks for a place for an annual conference and has plenty of volunteer help from year to year. This is the CHRISTIAN LIBRARIANS’ FELLOWSHIP now known as the ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN LIBRARIANS.

The Impact Of The Christian Faith On Library Service, Stanford Terhune

The Christian Librarian

The library profession is in flux and uncertainty due to its lack of a well-founded philosophy of service. The Christian faith provides the necessary philosophical framework. Three implications follow from the application of a Christian worldview to library practice. First, Christian librarians should provide access to collections that will allow students to integrate faith and learning. Second, they should demonstrate love and concern for library users by offering diligent, humble service.Third, they should teach students the ethical use of information resources. Christianity has an impact on “library service” in three areas. First, the word library presumes a collection of library …

What Acl Means To Me, Edythe Feazel

The Christian Librarian

The first time I ever heard of the Association of Christian Librarians was in 1983.After just completing my MLS, I took a position as Reference Librarian at Olivet Nazarene College.A group of us drove up for the day for the Wheaton conference. I heard a speaker that day – I have forgotten most of the details – but she said that women were “the crown of creation.” I had been laboring under the impression that women were second-class since Eve sinned and brought the curse on mankind.This speaker told of God’s progressive creation. I’ve felt better ever since! After all, …

Resources Available For Review, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Frontmatter (The Christian Librarian 49:1)

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Connecting Ethics To Action: An Introduction To Ethical Decision Making, Rory Patterson

The Christian Librarian

A patron calls the Circulation Desk late in the evening and gets a student worker.The patron wants to know what their roommate checked out so they can be sure to return all of the materials. The student gives the information, trying to be helpful to the patron.The patron comes in the next morning very upset because his privacy has been violated and threatening a lawsuit. The student worker defends his actions, saying he was trying to give excellent customer service, just as he learned in the orientation manual. How does one calm the patron, educate the student worker, and otherwise …

Acl: An Amazing Story, Nancy J. Olson

The Christian Librarian

When one stops to contemplate and consider the phenomena of the Association of Christian Librarians as it celebrates the 50th year of its existence, it is nothing short of amazing! In the beginning there was a tiny band of five volunteers with a vision and passion for sharing Christian fellowship, providing access to evangelical journal literature, publishing a professional journal, and facilitating professional development amongst evangelical librarians from institutions of higher education.They had no idea what God would do with their vision, passion and hard work. No one can doubt that God has done far more than they could ever …

Life Members, Dale Solberg

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Acl And God’S Call To Librarianship, Barbara Nelson

The Christian Librarian

Many people have asked me how, as a librarian in a secular institution, I became so involved in ACL. I have been at Auburn University Libraries since 1978, but before that was at a Christian liberal arts college, now defunct. ACL has been part of my life since the early 70’s and, of all the professional organizations to which I have belonged, it is the one that has had the greatest effect on me personally.

Cila: Librarians On A Mission, Georgianne Bordner

The Christian Librarian

ACL members have long been involved in serving international libraries, both by going overseas to work in libraries there, and by providing resources and advice from home. The Commission for International Library Assistance (CILA) was formed in order to develop a strategic plan to accomplish this mission more effectively, through publications, training, consultation, and other assistance. This brief history shows that over the years, changing technology and circumstances have changed some of CILA’s strategies, but the mission remains the same.

What Acl Means To Me, Alan Cappella

The Christian Librarian

I joined the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) in 1997, at a time when I was seeking God’s will for my future in library work.The previous year, I had been unexpectedly let go after eight years in a Bible college library position due to downsizing, and my heart was still in academic library work.

I found ACL to be far more than a facilitator for library job searching. This association is foremost a Christian one, and provided something far better than networking just to advance oneself. Attending my first ACL conference in 1997, I was greatly encouraged by a group …

View From Clc, Elizabeth Werner

The Christian Librarian

During its first 50 years, ACL has offered its members many opportunities for professional growth, support, and resource sharing. The Christian Library Consortium (CLC) has served ACL libraries for the most recent 15 of these years.The purposes of the CLC “shall be to promote sharing of resources between institutional members, to provide other benefits (when possible), and to help sponsor the activities of the association by paying dues.”1 Woodvall Moore first presented the concept for the Christian Library Consortium (CLC) during a meeting of the Association’s Liberal Arts College Section at the 1988 conference.

The Christian Periodical Index, Acl’S Longest Service Project, Barbara Nelson

The Christian Librarian

When the Christian Librarians’ Fellowship (CLF) was first formed in 1956, those early librarians were not just focused on their own needs, but they were also concerned with the information needs of students at Christian institutions. Part of their earliest vision was the establishment of the Christian Periodical Index (CPI).And so began a project which continues to the present day. It has far exceeded anyone’s vision at the time if its creation. Who knew about the coming explosion of publishing – to say nothing about the Internet! Yet the mission of CPI – to provide access to English language articles …