Welcome to our new church library! When planning the new church building, the library was given a key location near the entrance of the church with extra big windows looking into the room. This glass window and door are great for drawing people in, and allows for a quick look to see if any of your missing children are in the library. Here is a picture of the drop off box that collects all of the returned books.
Each section of the library is clearly labeled.
We had a blank wall beside the door and this picture from etsy of the "fruits of the spirit" suits the spot.
The garden bench fit perfectly under the window.
We have lots of young, energetic readers in our church:)
In the middle of the library we have a big cubby. On one side we have bins for the wee little children books, along with a step stool, and a box for all of the books that need to be catalogued.
This is the other side of the cubby where we shelf the older children books.
Our library committee consists of five members from our church. The congregation is generous and we are budgeted for $2,800 per year for buying new books and DVDs. As for buying books, it has worked well within the committee to take care of the areas of our interests. I tend to buy the real life stories and biographies. The other committee members purchase Christian Counselling books, children's books and DVDs. We read blogs that recommend good, wholesome books that are edifying. Blogger Tim Challies posted a list of his top favourite books from 2013 and we had already bought seven out of the eight that he recommended. That confirmed to me that we were on the right track. We have audio CDs for all ages. Our DVDs deal mostly with Creation, but we also have tours through Israel, a series called "Dispatches from the Front" and much more. The DVDs have all been well received. We have a section of novels but have been careful not to buy non-fiction that is over the top. We are in charge of proof reading the books that we order. When I have a big box of books to go through I pass them out to others - usually my sisters and friends - to proof read and I love their responses.They take this job very seriously and I love hearing their enthusiasm when they have just read a great book. I have had an elder come up to me and tell me that a senior that he visited wanted to do something useful for the church but felt limited. She loved reading so he asked me to send some books her way. I thought that that was a wonderful suggestion.
I like to think that our library is well balanced in terms of what is allowed in the book shelves. A few months ago I came across a fantastic book that clearly showed God's working in this young man's life. The problem was that in a few parts it was explicit. Three different people read the book and they all expressed some doubt. Our library has an official policy and mandate but I summarize it by saying, "when in doubt - leave it out" and that seems to work just fine.
As far as how our committee runs, the two men on the committee take care of the computer and scanner. We do not send out renewal notices and forms to the congregation when there are over due books but we will from time to time put notices in the bulletin asking everyone to do a spring cleaning and return books so that other people can enjoy them as well. Our librarians sign out books and return books after the morning or afternoon service. They do this for a month at a time; twice a year.
We do not mind if there is a book dealing with something like addictions, or some other private matter that goes missing. This can be a personal, private issue, so as long as the "borrower" is reading it and is getting help, we will order another book. The committee members take turns writing a seasonal newsletter four times a year highlighting a topic or an author.
We have great resources so we are in the process of making a list available to the consistory members if they happen to come across a special case, they can find some help or recommend a book on that issue.
In a nutshell, this is how our library works and it is a very rewarding committee to be on. It is an absolute delight to hear a reader tell you that a certain book really impacted his or her life, encouraged them to grow in their Christian walk, or equipped them in an area of life. We are very thankful to our congregation and consistory for their support. That goes a long ways!
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