Mission
We are united in our mission ...
The mission of the Association of Christian Librarians is to empower evangelical librarians through professional development, scholarship, and spiritual encouragement for service in higher education.
Critical Competency
We are dedicated to being ...
A caring Christian community that integrates faith and academic librarianship, emphasizing ministry and service.
Core Values
We are committed to our core values ...
- Members serve Christ as librarians in institutions of higher learning.
- All members are united by a common statement of faith which controls what the Association will and will not do.
Statement of Faith
We affirm our statement of faith ...
We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe the Bible in its original writings to be the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious death and atonement through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal and visible return in power and glory.
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he was tempted by Satan and fell, and that, because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary for salvation.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by Whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life, and by Whom the Church is empowered to carry out Christ's great commission.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost, those who are saved unto the resurrection of life and those who are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
Vision
We envision a future ...
The Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) is an influential, vibrant, growing community that integrates faith, ministry, and academic librarianship through development of members, services, and scholarship.
Strategic Plan
We pursue these strategies in support of our mission...
- Provide opportunities for members to grow spiritually, develop professionally, and learn and exhibit leadership skills by encouraging members' interaction and support as well as encouraging members to write, present, and publish scholarly materials.
- Strengthen the strategic direction of the Association.
- Expand the effectiveness and influence of the Association.
- Assimilate and deepen the involvement of members in the community of ACL.
- Inspire ACL members with a vision and equip them with the practical skills to provide assistance and training for librarians in Christian institutions of higher learning.
- Create and promote quality materials and projects for the benefit of libraries and of Christian academic librarians.
History of the Association of Christian Librarians
We share a heritage ...
During the summer of 1956, the first Christian Librarians' Fellowship convened, with just five members in attendance-Shirley Wood of Columbia Bible College, Dorothy Spidell of Nyack Missionary College, Mary Jane Kergerize and Marian Boyjiam of The King's College, and Emily Russel of Faith Theological Seminary
In 1957, the Association of Christian Librarians was established, and today it is one of the oldest-and largest-evangelical academic library organizations in existence, with more than 500 individual and nearly 150 institutional members representing a wide spectrum of denominations.
Membership is open to Christian librarians who work in an institution of higher learning and affirm the ACL mission and statement of faith. Associate memberships are available to any other Christian librarians or non-librarians who are interested in librarianship and affirm the ACL mission and statement of faith.
ACL is a non-profit organization governed by a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, an executive director, and six directors-at-large. The home office staff are responsible for the daily operations of the Association. Multiple teams develop and direct programs that carry out the mission of ACL.