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portal: Libraries and the Academy 3.3 (2003) 540-542



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Christian Librarianship: Essays on the Integration of Faith and Profession, ed. Gregory A. Smith. Jefferson, NC: [End Page 540] McFarland, 2002. 231 p. $39.95 softcover (ISBN 0-7864-1329-8)

Two personal examples illustrate the need for this unique and important volume. I began my library career in cataloging at a Catholic university. Upon seeing a huge crucifix above the card catalog, I asked the colleague orienting me, "What does this mean as far as our work?" With a hint of sarcasm, she answered, "Not much . . . since our salaries are lower than in other academic libraries, I was always told to expect my reward in the next life." Later on, I heard about another event that illustrates conflicting personal-professional values: a past employee had quit over refusing to catalog pro-choice materials for the nursing library. Thus, in an atmosphere of academic freedom on campus, is there any hope for an appropriate balance between one's faith and professional identity?

In this collection of sixteen essays, most of them previously published in British and American journals of library science and theology, Greg Smith (library director, Baptist Bible College and Graduate School of Theology, Springfield, MO) has assembled, for the first time, what were once scattered fragments in the literature. In the introduction, Smith relates three purposes for this collection: (1) to help Christians in the library profession integrate their faith with their vocation; (2) to provide a foundation for further discussion of library issues from a Christian perspective; and (3) to serve as a window through which students and scholars of library science may observe Christian librarians (p. 6). Interestingly, the Library of Congress recently added the subject heading, "Christian librarians," upon publication of this volume.

The collection is divided into two parts: Christian librarianship in theory (six essays) and Christian librarianship in practice (ten essays). In part one, Smith begins with a set of philosophical, sociological, and Biblical discussions of how one's intellectual framework and decisions are invariably connected with one's faith. Building upon this argument, contributors Donald Davis (University of Texas-Austin) and John Mark Tucker (Purdue University) suggest four ways a Christian's faith enhances his or her work as a librarian with both colleagues and patrons, through relationships of mentoring, counseling, affirming, and interacting. Moreover, John Trotti (Union Seminary-Virginia) favorably compares librarianship to the call of ministry, stating, "The ministering library is not a warehouse, a monument to learning, a repository of antiquarian curios, or a substitute for the campus bookstore. On the contrary, it is basically people-centered" (p. 48). To be sure, while these essays are directed towards Christians, none of the concepts presented excludes librarians without religious faith, or even librarians whose religion is not Christianity, but rather emphasize the implausibility of separating one's mind and spirit in day-to-day life.

In part two, specific topics within the field of librarianship are addressed; namely, multiculturalism, intellectual freedom, collection development, Sunday hours, and social action. Elizabeth Irish (Albany Medical College-New York) focuses on the 1981 ALA "Code of Ethics," [available at <www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/1981code.html>] and the ongoing dilemmas faced when one's personal ethics conflict with the professional ethics prescribed in the Code. James Johnson (Department of Veteran Affairs-Pennsylvania) extends this argument to ALA's "Library Bill of Rights" (American Library Association, amended, 1980) and Intellectual Freedom Manual (American Library Association, 3d ed., 1989). In particular, regarding intellectual [End Page 541] freedom, Johnson documents the surprising similarities between a Biblically-based, Christian approach and a secular, liberal approach. In a fitting conclusion to the second section, William Abernathy (Ozark College-Missouri) and Kenneth Gill (Wheaton College-Illinois) issue a call for Christian librarians in the West to strengthen and assist their brothers and sisters serving in the Third World, both in developing local libraries and non-Western theories of library and information science.

Finally, while it initially struck this reviewer as odd (and possibly prejudiced...

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