COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Northeastern Seminary (Rochester, New York)
The theological collections
support the curricula of Northeastern Seminary and the Division of Religion and
Humanities of Roberts Wesleyan College.
The collections support the normal assignments of undergraduate and
graduate students, and serve as a foundation for masters-level thesis research
in conjunction with other academic libraries in Western New York.
The students, faculty,
administration and staff of Northeastern Seminary and the Division of Religion
and Humanities are the principal constituents served by the theological
collections.
A $25,000 budget line (FY
2000-2001) from Northeastern Seminary and a $2,000 budget line from Roberts
Wesleyan College support the theological collections.
(1)
The
theological collections will provide timely access, through ownership or
through the Greater Rochester Library Council, to more than 90% of the
resources listed in NES course bibliographies.
Special consideration will be given to NES commuter students.
(2)
The
theological collections will represent a broad spectrum of perspectives,
including feminist and Third World approaches, in each major field of study,
while providing substantial collections in the institution’s historical
interests, such as evangelicalism and Wesley Studies. The collection will have representative works in African American
theological/pastoral resources, and womanist theology. Each subject division will collect works
related to women (i.e., body theology, Paul’s teachings on the role of women in
the church, ordination of women).
(3)
The
theological collections will support the educational goals and objectives of
NES courses, and will not develop strength in fiction, devotional resources,
popular works and highly specialized monographs.
(4)
The
theological collections will concentrate on new publications and selected older
works of enduring value, rather than collecting historical materials in
strength. The collection will
concentrate on resources published after 1990.
(5)
The
theological collections will consist almost entirely of English-language materials,
and will acquire foreign-language resources typically by special request of
faculty.
(6)
The
theological collections will represent a wide spectrum of Protestant and
Catholic traditions, including works written from Wesleyan, Baptist, Peace
Tradition (e.g., Mennonite), Reformed (including Lutheran), Catholic and
Episcopal perspectives.
(7)
While
hardback editions should be preferred where heavy use is anticipated, quality
paperback editions are acceptable when significant price differences exist
between the paperback and the hardback editions. Consideration will also be given to the anticipated length of
currency of the publications. The
expected length of currency will be taken into account when deciding between
cloth or paper binding. Reference works
will usually be purchased in cloth binding.
(8)
The
theological collections will provide increasing access to relevant electronic
databases through commercial vendors, including OCLC’s FirstSearch and Ebsco
Host. Preference will be given to
online resources rather than CD-ROM, for these reasons: (1) Readiness and reliability of access and
(2) currency of online databases.
(9)
Collection
development will favor significant discounts over timeliness, except in special
circumstances (e.g., request of faculty).
Biblical Archaeology—the collection will not
strive for comprehensiveness, but adequacy, and contain works specifically
listed in course bibliographies or otherwise directly supportive of NES course
work.
Biblical Languages—the collection will contain tools for
exegetical work in Hebrew and Greek, including concordances, lexicons, and
parsing guides. The collection will
strive for adequacy rather than comprehensiveness.
Biblical Studies—collection will contain texts and secondary
resources on the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Nag Hammadi texts and authoritative
secondary resources; and texts and secondary resources on the Pseudopigrapha
and Apocrypha; the collection will concentrate on important secondary resources
in Old Testament Theology, Ancient Near Eastern background, feminist and
socio-rhetorical criticism, Christological exegesis of the OT, NT Theology,
Christology, Paul and His Thought, NT Background, rhetoric as an NT literary
genre, significant works (including commentaries) on individual books,
divisions and literary forms (e.g., wisdom, parables). Major themes such as sacrifice, war, wealth
and resurrection will be considered.
The collection will avoid highly specialized works, fiction or highly
controversial works that are not based on thorough research. The collection will also avoid works that
interpret texts from a purely subjective viewpoint (e.g., an imaginative
approach to reading the Lukan passion narrative). The collection will include highly recommended commentaries,
especially those that deal with the Hebrew or Greek text, and avoid
commentaries aimed solely at the popular market. The collection will consist almost entirely of English-language
materials.
Christian Ethics—the collection will emphasize significant
scholarly resources published after 1990, including reference works, especially
those that address contemporary issues.
The collection will collect textbooks and readings only by faculty request.
Patristics—collection will contain more than 90% of primary texts and secondary
literature published and in-print, on course bibliographies, including major
works of the Apostolic Fathers, Tertullian, Clement, Origen, the Cappadocian
Fathers, Athanasius and Augustine.
Special emphasis will be placed on doctrinal development in the Early
Church. The collection will include
full sets of collected texts in print, such as the Ancient Christian Writers. Emphasis will be on the development of the
Catholic and Orthodox traditions; the collection will contain less than 25% of
the works in print on ‘heretical’ perspectives, including Gnosticism and
Montanism. The collection will contain
major studies on the origin(s) of Christianity.
Medieval Studies—the collection will emphasize major figures (e.g., Justinian, Gregory
the Great, Innocent III, Duns Scotus, Aquinas, Joachim, Bonaventure), councils,
doctrinal issues, the medieval papacy, doctrinal issues, and religious
orders. The collection will include
major theological works such as the Summa Theologica. The collection will also include important
works related to the history, liturgy and theology of the Eastern churches,
including the Coptic Church, such as The Coptic Encyclopedia.
Reformation Studies—the collection will include collected works of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli
and the Radical Reformers, and reference works such as the Encyclopedia of
the Reformation. The collection
will also include critical biographies of major figures and critical studies of
the theology of the reformers, as well as events that led to the
Reformation. Collection development in
this area will include attention to major studies of the English Reformation,
Puritan and Dissenting movements.
Modern Period/Historical Studies—collection will contain more than 90% of published,
in-print resources on course bibliographies, and will emphasize major figures,
movements and teachings of this period.
Resources will contain works on the rise of liberal Catholic and
Protestant theology, biblical criticism, the Ecumenical Movement, the Social
Gospel, evangelicalism, and the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition. Special attention will be given to the
interaction of the church with postmodernism.
Homiletics—collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print resources
on course bibliographies, and in most cases avoid collected works of sermons,
textbooks, sermon outlines and illustrations.
The collection will focus on theory and practice of sermons, including
expository sermons and story sermons, and will include works by Barbara Brown
Taylor, Eugene Peterson, Fred Craddock and other major authors
Christian Education—The collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print
resources on course bibliographies, with special reference to the course MIN
628, Teaching Doctrine. The collection
will emphasize CE as catechesis, and also contain works related to theological
education and Christian higher education.
Church Administration—collection will contain more than 90% of published,
in-print resources on course bibliographies, including those written by
nationally-recognized authorities such as Aubrey Malphurs, Stan Toler, Kennon
Callahan, Lyle Schaller, William Easum, Thomas Bandy and Dale Galloway. The collection will contain most of the
works published by the Alban Institute, the “Creative Leadership Series” from
Abingdon, as well as important resources from nationally prominent churches,
such as the Community of Joy, Ginghamsburg Church, and Willow Creek Community
Church. The collection will also contain important works on nonprint media,
such as videotapes, audiocassettes and CDs.
Hermeneutics—collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print resources
on course bibliographies, including perspectives from historical criticism,
narrative criticism, feminist criticism, reader-response criticism, and
postcolonial biblical criticism. The
collection will emphasize works whose principles can be translated into the
professional practice of ministry.
Missions—collection will emphasize church growth, urban missions, missions
theory, the Great Commission, and 2000/Beyond.
The collection will also contain materials published by World Vision/
MARC.
Pastoral Theology—collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print resources
on course bibliographies, including resources for pastoral care and counseling,
crisis ministries (including suicide prevention), death and dying, and
development of the Christian community.
General works on pastoral theology will include resources published by
nonwhite/female perspectives.
Philosophy of Religion—collection will include selections that address
major issues in the field, such as the problem of good and evil, and the
existence of God, and will aim for adequate support of the NES curriculum
rather than comprehensiveness.
Religion and Science—The collection will contain resources that
emphasize interdisciplinary studies in this field, including recent works on
neuroscience and cosmology, as well as on the nature of the human person. The collection
will include works from well-known authors as John Polkinghorne and Arthur
Peacocke.
Spirituality—The collection will contain resources on spiritual direction,
spiritual formation and pastoral formation from several Catholic and Protestant
traditions, including Wesleyan, Anglican, Orthodox, Reformed, Pentecostal and
Charismatic. The collection will have
resources on Centering Prayer, intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare
(including ‘mapping’). The collection
will contain resources for training spiritual directors as well as resources
for directees. The collection will give
special emphasis to works that integrate spiritual direction/formation with
pastoral theology. In most cases, the
collection will not contain works of poetry or meditations.
Systematic Theology—the collection will contain significant works from selected
theologians that should be included in support of the NES curriculum, including
Barth, Bonhoeffer, Moltmann, Pannenberg, John B. Cobb, Jr., Thomas Oden,
Schubert Ogden, Rosemary Radford Ruether, James Cone, David Tracy, Hans Kung,
and Reinhold Niebuhr. At least 20% of
new books in this subject area will be authored by women and people of color,
and include Third World perspectives.
Priority will be given to theologians/authors whose works appear on NES
course bibliographies.
Wesleyan Studies—collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print resources
on course bibliographies, including a full set of the ‘Bicentennial Edition’ of
the works of John Wesley, and the publications of Kingswood Press. The collection will contain critical
editions of the works of Charles Wesley, and the works of John Fletcher. Major representative Methodist theologians
will be represented, including Richard Watson, Adam Clarke, John Miley, William
Burt Pope, Borden Parker Bowne, and Olin Curtis. Contemporary theologians will be included as well, such as
Schubert Ogden, John B. Cobb, Jr., Thomas Oden and Geoffrey Wainwright. The collection will include materials
supporting the Course of Study in the United Methodist Church (U.S.). Major studies on the holiness movement will
be collected, such as those by John L. Peters, Timothy Smith and Melvin
Dieter. The collection will also
include important works on major figures such as Phoebe Palmer, Benjamin T.
Roberts, and A. B. Simpson. The
collection will avoid most popular works and denominational studies.
World Religions—the collection will contain scholarly resources and quality surveys on
the world’s major religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) and
traditional religions, and emphasize historical/doctrinal studies.
Worship—the collection will contain more than 90% of published, in-print
resources on course bibliographies, but will avoid works of a confessional
nature (e.g. studies of denominational worship for membership training). The collection will contain works on public
worship and liturgy, including studies of worship in historical periods (e.g.,
early church). The collection will
include works on contemporary worship, African American worship, worship and
evangelism, and history of worship. The
collection will contain resources from several Christian traditions, including
Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and
Charismatic/Pentecostal. The collection
will include resources on the role of women in worship.
Budget Allocation
BIBLICAL STUDIES: 15%
Biblical Languages
Hermeneutics
Biblical
History/Historical Backgrounds (incl. Biblical Archaeology)
Exegesis (incl.
Commentaries)
Biblical Theology
Specialized
Studies
CHURCH HISTORY: 15%
Patristics
Medieval Studies
Reformation
Studies
Modern
Period/Historical Studies
SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY: 15%
PASTORAL THEOLOGY: 15%
Pastoral Formation
Worship
Homiletics
Leadership
Church
Administration
Evangelism
Christian
Education
CONTEMPORARY MISSIONS: 15%
World Religions
Christian Missions
Philosophy of
Religion
Religion and
Science
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: 20%
Spirituality (10%)
Wesleyana (10%)
These allocations represent 95% of the budget, and allow 5%
discretionary spending.
Northeastern Seminary
2301 Westside Drive
Rochester, New York 14624
(585) 594-6800
Page last modified 12-18-2002