As theological schools face crises of various sorts, librarians are frequently asked to adapt to new circumstances—which they are happy to do. However, all too often, these requests are accompanied by announcements of budget cuts. This dual request—adapt and cut—is a recipe for the end of libraries as we have known them. That might not be a bad thing if libraries did not have much more to offer than helping to deliver the curricula of their parent institutions. As theological schools cast about for new futures, this can be a time when libraries step up and offer rival narratives to the usual, narrow “library as helper” stories. This session will examine "new" or at least "different" models of libraries that could help to secure strong libraries and, in the process, stabilize the wider enterprise of theological education in the current time of crisis, change, and opportunity.
