2017 American Theological Library Association Annual Conference

Please join us for worship in the Baptist Tradition. Beth Perry will be the worship leader.

Innovation in Theological Education: Something Old, Something New

In this talk, I will explore types of innovation in theological education, highlighting both how older models of learning and new technologies are combining to transform the leading edges of how faith leaders are prepared in the 21st century. Implications for theological libraries will be explored, based on select case studies.

During this session Secretary Tracy Powell-Iwaskow will report on the results of the 2017 election and President Timothy Lincoln will deliver an address to the membership before outgoing board members and members who recently retired will be honored and those who passed away will be remembered with Memorials. 

Please join us for worship in the Presbyterian Tradition. Sharon Taylor will be the worship leader.

Leading in a Learning Environment

The speaker will share her observations and experiences managing the delivery of services of a  medium-sized academic library. The 13-year journey of the Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library recently distinguished as an ACRL Academic Library of Excellence in 2016 will be shared. Remarks will address the benefits of collaboration and communications, and the strategic importance of preservation and global access to primary resources in the humanities by an HBCU.

In early February 2017, ITHAKA S+R published Supporting the Changing Research Practices of Religious Studies Scholars, the latest in a series of projects that investigate the research support needs of scholar by their discipline. During this special luncheon event, Brenda Bailey-Hainer (Executive Director, ATLA) will discuss ATLA’s role in sponsoring the report and the importance of the project to ATLA and its members. In addition to context setting remarks placing religious studies scholarship within the humanities realm, Roger Schonfeld (Director, Libraries and Scholarly Communication Program, ITHAKA S+R) will discuss the unique funding model and structure of this collaborative project. Danielle Cooper (Senior Researcher, Library and Scholarly Communication, ITHAKA S+R) will share high level results of the research and John F. Kutsko (Executive Director, Society for Biblical Literature (SBL)) and others will discuss the results from the unique points of view of their organizations and communities. While the luncheon will not include time for Q&A, attendees interested further discussing the results with the researchers are invited to the session “Continuing the Discussion: The ITHAKA S+R Report Supporting the Changing Research Practices of Religious Studies Scholars” immediately following the luncheon.

There is no charge to attend this luncheon if you are registered for the full conference.

During this session Executive Director Brenda Bailey-Hainer will provide a short overview of association accomplishments from the past year, Sharon Taylor as Chair of the Endowment Committee will make some brief remarks and the Local Host Committee will provide information on the 2018 Annual Conference.

Please join us for worship in the Methodist Tradition. Roger Loyd will be the worship leader.

What’s Next in the Move Towards “Open”?

This talk will explore the latest developments and emerging trends in the movement to make “open” the default in research and education. We’ll discuss the state of play of Open Access journals and archives, dig into details of Open Research Data, and touch on the growing popularity of Open Educational Resources on college and university campuses. And, of course, we’ll take a look at how the current political climate may affect the prospects for continued progress in each of these areas.