Blog

OverDrive

Timeline: 8/31/2023 

Join with other CLC members to build a shared academic digital collection from Overdrive. Discounted annual participation fee is based on FTE.

Read more

Michael Wells – 7/2023

Michael is the Library Director at Wilmington College in Wilmington, OH (1013 FTE). Michael has been an ACL member for ten years.

Describe yourself using a book title: The Power of a Praying Parent

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? For me, the best thing about being a librarian is the ability to work with a variety of people and to learn (both good and bad) from the experiences. Having worked at a variety of libraries over the years, I have been blessed to work with many great colleagues and customers and have loved learning about their lives and sharing my life with them.

Read more

Lauren Denny – 6/2023

Lauren is the Consortium Librarian for SIL International in Reidsville, NC (20 libraries). Lauren has been an ACL member for nine years.

Describe yourself using a book title: Christ’s Servant Librarian Dancing on an International Tightrope

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Connecting people with resources (people, print, electronic, counseling, training, etc.) to help them go beyond what they envisioned for their areas of interest or expertise. Be a sounding board to people see ways they could expand or enhance their ministry/mission.

Read more

The Least of These

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:40 NIV

While working in the public library my understanding of who the “least of these” were grew as I daily interacted with those who are marginalized in society: the homeless, those who are technologically challenged, those who aren’t comfortable speaking English, the recently released from prison, and those whom society seems to have forgotten for whatever reason.

Read more

Robert Oliverio – 5/2023

Robert is the Head Librarian at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, AZ (946 FTE). Robert has been an ACL member since 2021.

Describe yourself using a book title: Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church or Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock.

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I love meeting patrons’ needs. Finding the exact item that someone needed is so satisfying.

Read more

Waiting

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. (Luke 2:25 NIV)

In our lives we want to accomplish things as quickly as possible. The same is true with our library systems; we want to receive information sources immediately. As Christians, we pray and receive promises from the Lord, but most of the time, we want those promises right away. Sometimes we find it hard to wait. My wife and I know this firsthand. In January 2021, we traveled to Nigeria. As we were preparing for our return trip to the States, our COVID-19 tests came back positive. We had to wait for 14 days for additional tests, which came back negative. The waiting was hard for us and for our kids, who were in the U.S., waiting for our return.

Read more

Jennifer Ewing – 4/2023

Jennifer is the Library Director at Southern California Seminary in El Cajon, CA (107 FTE). Jennifer has been an ACL member for 23 years.

Describe yourself using a book title: Sense and Sensibility

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Having the exact book (piece of information) that a person wants.

Read more

Introducing ACL-Pro Plenary Workshops

What’s better than gaining knowledge and fellowship through the ACL Conference each year? You guessed it – it’s earning continuing education units while you’re there too!

Each year, ACL provides opportunities for professional development and continuing education in the form of ACL-Pro workshops, which are included as part of your conference registration whether you’re joining us in-person or virtually. ACL-Pro is the arm of the Association of Christian Librarians that offers continuing education units, or CEUs, for qualifying continuing education and training activities.

We’re excited to announce two fascinating ACL-Pro workshops at this year’s conference:

Embedding Librarians & Libraries into the Campus LMS

Panelists: Robert Burgess, Mississippi College; Miriam Liethen, Grace College; Taylor Vanlandingham, John Brown University  // Moderator: Kirsten Setzkorn, Cedarville University

Discover how librarians creatively practice embedded librarianship in the context of their campus’ learning management system. Learn from each panelist’s unique experience establishing and growing an embedded program, as well as the greatest benefits and challenges they faced along the way. Discussion will include the many forms embedded librarianship can take. Participants will come away inspired with tangible ideas on how to implement their own embedded program to the benefit of their students and institutions.

Creative Roles: How to Use Student Workers in Unique Ways

Panelists: Leslie Starasta, Lincoln Christian University; Gary Fitsimmons, Bryan College; Jean Waldrop, Harding University; Crystal Whitham, Allegheny Wesleyan College // Moderator: Kari Siders, Cedarville University

Many libraries use or place students in standard roles such as circulation or book processing, yet to fulfill the needs of the library, students can be trained and trusted to accomplish so much more. Students in these libraries were placed in roles that included tasks such as libguide creation, ILLs, social media, archives, cataloging, and more. This workshop will expand your idea of the typical student worker role and encourage you to consider how you can utilize students more fully at your library.

ACL-Pro workshops cover innovative topics in librarianship with a focus on actionable steps that you can implement at your library. Through the practical application of these concepts, you will be better equipped to take your library to the next level.

Participation in these workshops (in person or online) makes you eligible to receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs). To obtain CEUs for attendance at one or both ACL-Pro workshops participants will be asked to complete an evaluation form after the session.

Read more

The Cross and the Cup

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24 NASB)

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, rather than for men. (Colossians 3:23 NASB)

A trip to Israel makes the Bible come alive. Nowhere else does the sacred and the secular mix together so completely. During my husband’s and my trip to the Holy Land, I witnessed this mix on our walk down the Via Dolorosa. Our tour traced the fourteen Stations of the Cross from the Church of the Flagellation to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional

Read more

Rodney Birch – 3/2023

Rodney is the Instruction Coordinator & Research Services Librarian at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, ID (1577  FTE). Rodney has been an ACL member for 24 years.

Read more