Journal of Religious & Theological Information

Robert Ray, the Assistatnt Editor of the Journal of Religious and Theological Information, has asked that we post the following message for the members of ALABI.


The Journal of Religious & Theological Information, now published by Routledge (a member of the Taylor & Francis Group), is an essential resource for bibliographers, librarians, and scholars interested in the literature of religion and theology as well as digital information in a religious or theological context. Both international and pluralistic in scope, this peer-reviewed journal encourages the publication of research and scholarship in the field of library and information studies as it relates to religious studies and related fields, including philosophy, ethnic studies, anthropology, sociology, and history. By “information” we refer to both print and electronic, and both published and unpublished information. A board of consulting editors assists the editor in reviewing submissions as well as maintaining awareness of developments in the fields covered. JRTI welcomes submissions using various methodologies, including empirical research, essays, and critical reviews.

This journal focuses on various stages in librarianship for religious and theological information, such as:

  • production (including printing and publishing)
  • dissemination
  • use
  • storage
  • retrieval
  • preservation
  • bibliography
  • collection development
  • instruction and information literacy
  • digitization and multimedia
  • special collections and archives
  • history of libraries and librarianship
  • censorship and intellectual freedom

Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor via email, preferably in Microsoft Word format. Send manuscripts to Mark Stover at mstover@mail.sdsu.edu

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ALABI 2010 Presentation: Library Assessment in Academic Libraries

The ALABI 2010 meeting in Georgetown, Kentucky, was graciously hosted by the staff of Georgetown College. The Anna Ashcraft Ensor Learning Center at Georgetown College is a wonderful facility, and the Mary Margaret Lowe, the Library Director of Georgetown College was a wonderful host.

During the conference, Mary Margaret treated attendees to a presentation entitled “Library Assessment in Academic Libraries.” For those who would like to revisit the information Mary Margaret provided, her PowerPoint presentation is offered below.

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ALABI 2010 Presentation — Cooperative Digitization: Possibilities, Pitfalls, and Prospects

Attendees to the ALABI 2010 meeting had the unique privilege of hearing Eric Ames, Kathy Hilman, and Dr. Doug Weaver, all of Baylor University, make a presentation entitled, “Cooperative Digitization: Possibilities, Pitfalls, and Prospects.” The slides from their presentation are offered below.

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Constitution and Bylaws updated

At the 2009 ALABI meeting in Nashville, ALABI members approved the revised Constitution and Bylaws for the group. Those documents have been available as PDFs on the meetings page, but until now, they have not been available on the Constitution and Bylaws page. The official Constitution and Bylaws page has now been edited to reflect the current edition of the ALABI Constitution and Bylaws. If you plan on attending the meeting in Georgetown this year, you might want to take a few minutes to review them before the meeting.

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2010 ALABI Meeting

The registration form and accommodations information for the 2010 ALABI meeting are now available on the meetings page. The agenda should be released sometime later this week. The following topics will be addressed at this year’s meeting.

Preconference workshop: Records management

Basic digitization techniques

Using social media for outreach and promotion in archives

Cooperative digitization

Assessment in academic libraries

We look forward to seeing you in Georgetown this June!

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2010 ALABI Meeting

The officers of ALABI (Association of Librarians and Archivists and Baptist Institutions) would like to announce that ALABI will have its annual convention at Georgetown College, in Georgetown, Kentucky on June 2-3, 2010. The main topic will be The Digital Archivist: Records Management Across the Institution. The program is still coming together, but we expect to release details about it very soon.

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Records Management Workshop at SBHLA

The Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives is pleased to announce we will be co-sponsoring a Society of American Archivists workshop, Records Management for Archivists, Thursday and Friday February 4-5, 2010, at the SBC building in downtown Nashville.

This practical, introductory records management course provides an overview of records management principles and practices and tools to use for establishing or continuing a records management program.

Members of the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions are eligible for a $25 discount off the non-member rate.

Enter the code “RMA10TN” into the promotional code on the online registration form and the discount will be activated by SAA staff.

Early bird registration ends January 5, 2010. The course also provides 10 Archival Recertification Credits for individuals who are members of the Academy of Certified Archivists. For more information and to register, visit the education calendar of the Society of American Archivists website, http://saa.archivists.org/Scripts/4Disapi.dll/4DCGI/events/ConferenceList.html?Action=GetEvents

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User-Centered Practices in Libraries

During ALABI 2009, ALABI President Kent Millwood led the breakout session on User-centered Practices in Libraries. Kent has graciously compiled notes used for the session and provided them for members of ALABI. Kent has some great content here, and he provided an excellent bibliography to help interested ALABI members pursue becoming even more user-centered.

The document is embedded below. If you would like to download a copy, click on “more,” then select “save document.”

User Centered Practices in Libraries

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Baptist Library Uses WorldCat Local

worldcatOCLC’s newly released WorldCat Local online catalog solution has quickly gathered a number of implementers. This new search and discovery service offers a number of advantages over traditional ILS catalogs.

One Baptist library, the James P. Boyce Centennial Library at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently implemented a WorldCat Local instance to help them better serve their patrons. Rob Brunansky, the IT director at SBTS, shared this library’s “success story” on the OCLC site. Anyone is welcome to try the SBTS WorldCat Local instance if you would like to see how this solution differs from traditional catalogs.

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Whitsitt Diaries Open at Virginia Baptist Historical Society

The Virginia Baptist Historical Society has opened to researchers the 16 volumes of diaries, 1885-1889, kept by Dr. William Heth Whitsitt, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The diaries have been opened following the publication earlier this year of the biography W.H. Whitsitt: the Man and the Controversy by James H. Slatton (Mercer Press). Research appointments are required and contact should be made to Darlene Slater Herod, research assistant, at (804)289-8435 or VBHS, P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.

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