A Handbook for Church Librarians

I recently joined the National Church Librarian Association and received a "free" copy of the following book with my $55 NCLA membership: A Handbook for Church Librarians: Second Revised Edition. I don't possess a copy of the first edition, but I assume there have been significant changes. Individual copies can be purchased for $35 or, if you're an NCLA member, you can purchase a second copy for $21. Let me put a disclaimer in here: I have no fiduciary interest in NCLA nor am pushing membership in it.

Table of Contents:

FIRST STEPS TO LIBRARY MINISTRY
Purpose and plans, staffing, location, finances, supplies and furnishings

SELECTION STRATEGY
Collection development, policies, purchasing, inventory and weeding

ORDER AND ORGANIZATION
Classifying and cataloging books

FROM BOX TO BOOKSHELF
Accessioning, processing, and shelving books

THE CIRCULATION CYCLE
Lending, care and repair of books

BEYOND BOOKS
Circulating videos, music and more

PERIODICALS, ODDS AND ENDS
Circulating magazines, pamphlets, and archives

THE AUTOMATED CHURCH LIBRARY
Benefits and program features, equipment, and the Internet

PROMOTION POTPOURRI
Creative promotional ideas

DYNAMIC LIBRARY MINISTRY
Evaluating and planning ahead

There is no ISBN. It appears to be self-published by the NCLA. You can get ordering information on their website: www.churchlibraries.org

Over the next year I will be examining whether the stiff membership fee is worth the publications, resources on the web, and discounts with book dealers and library supply companies are worth it.

Thank you for posting this information. I look forward to reading about your experience at the end of the year.

So far I have found this handbook to be a great reference. While WorldCat.org can give you almost any Dewey (one of the two primary cataloging systems in church library), it's nice to have the appendix in the back for categorizing older books that have been donated. The ideas in the book are useful. I'm still determining if the membership fee is worth it. One plus: since I joined, they have added Anabaptist/Mennonite publishers to the books they review in their publication. I'm glad to see those materials will have a larger reading market.

I've been a member of our local chapter of the National Church Library Association for several years now and find the quarterly meetings valuable. I am our chapter's treasurer so get the quarterly "Libraries Alive" for free. This publication has had some very useful articles in it. I have to admit that I've never joined the national organization because I find it hard to justify spending that much money out of my meager library budget. Eventhough I've been working in our church library for 6 years, the "Handbook for Church Librarians" sounds like a good resource. I may have to reconsider joining just for that. NCLA began as a Lutheran organization but has become a non-denominational one. I work with a Catholic church library and am starting to see reviews by Catholic librarians periodically too.

The value of any church library association (I belong to PNACL - Pacific Northwest Association of Librarians) goes far beyond any written information they can provide you with. Hopefully you live in an area where you can attend workshops several times a year. The fellowship and exchange of ideas with other librarians in your area is invaluable. It is what keeps me going when I get in a rut. I think this forum will fill that need as well.