iPreach

Not to be confused with the similarly-named products from Apple, Inc., iPreach “offers the finest in contemporary biblical study and preaching resources to pastors and teachers by renewable online subscription. This extensive collection of commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and other reference works provides a breadth of substantial, searchable materials with which to prepare sermons and lessons–all in one place.” 

BPL is pleased to provide access to this resource, which includes a full-text searchable functionality for many popular reference works.  Check it out by clicking the link in the Electronic Resources sidebar at right, or by visiting the Library’s webpage at http://www.vts.edu/library/catalog.asp.  If you are accessing from off-campus, the system will prompt you to enter the patron barcode from your VTS Library card.

Please let us know if you have any questions about this or our other new electronic resources.

Additions to Databases

The Bishop Payne Library is pleased to announce the addition of three new online databases to our subscriptions.  Now in addition to EbscoReligion, you also have access to Old Testament Abstracts, New Testament Abstracts, and the Catholic Periodical and Literature Index.

You can get to these resources by clicking the EbscoReligion link in the box at right or by visiting the Library’s webpage at  http://www.vts.edu/library/catalog.asp.  Under Electronic Resources, click on “EbscoReligion”.  If you are accessing from off-campus, the system will prompt you to enter the patron barcode from your VTS Library card.

Please let us know if you have any questions about these new electronic resources.

National Library Week

According to the American Library Association website, National Library Week (April 15 – 21) “is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries, librarians and library workers and to promote library use and support.”

Stop by Bishop Payne Library this week to tell us what you think of the blog and our new catalog, get assistance with finding resources and materials for your research and ministry, and pick up a trusty BPL pen. Thanks for your continued patronage!

Environmental Resources

Bishop Payne Library invites you to learn more about the connections between the environment and theology through our new display in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 2007. The materials can be found on your immediate right as you enter the library, and they include seminal works on environmental theology as well as practical information regarding conservation and resources for ministry. The resources on display are available for circulation. You may also wish to peruse the Guide to Environmental Resources in Bishop Payne Library (pdf) for further materials from the BPL collection pertaining to these issues.

This display was created in support of the upcoming Mollegan Forum on “The Water of Life: Earth’s Water Crisis”, to be held on April 27, 2007. For more information, please click the link above.

Featured New Resources

Bishop Payne Library recently added the 200,000th item to our collection, and our acquisitions continue to grow! Visit the new books shelf on the right side of the library’s entrance to discover new items, including the following (click the link to see the BPL catalog record):

American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion, by Paul M. Barrett

• From the publisher’s website: “There are as many as six million Muslims in the United States today. Islam (together with Christianity and Judaism) is now an American faith, and the challenges Muslims face as they reconcile their intense and demanding faith with our chaotic and permissive society are recognizable to all of us. From West Virginia to northern Idaho, American Islam takes readers into Muslim homes, mosques, and private gatherings to introduce a population of striking variety. … American Islam is an intimate and vivid group portrait of American Muslims in a time of turmoil and promise.”

Ecology at the Heart of Faith: The Change of Heart that Leads to a New Way of Living on Earth, by Denis Edwards

• From the publisher’s website: “An engaging meditation on how the fullness of being a Christian entails an embrace of creation. Beginning with the words, “One of the gifts we have received from the twentieth century is a picture of Earth as our shared home,” Denis Edwards helps the general reader, the preacher, the spiritual director, the student and the theologian tear down the walls that too often separate mysticism, theology, prophecy, poetry, and science. In a world born of the “big bang,” Edwards shows that humanity and the world are together being made into the image of God.”

A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the early Church, by Calvin R. Stapert

• From the publisher’s website: “Stapert draws parallels between the pagan cultures of the second and third centuries and our own multicultural realities, enabling readers to comprehend the musical ideas of early Christian thinkers, from Clement and Tertullian to John Chrysostom and Augustine. Stapert’s expert treatment of the attitudes of the early church toward psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is ideal for scholars of early Christianity, church musicians, and all Christians looking to add an ancient yet relevant perspective to their worship today.”