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57

The Role of the Theological Library 
in Scholarly Formation
A Case Study
Jessica Chisholm Holland, Librarian, Baptist University College of Osteopathic 
Medicine
Carisse Mickey Berryhill, Professor Emerita, Brown Library, Abilene Christian 
University

ABSTR ACT: Scholarly formation of seminary students has parallels to 
the discipline of spiritual formation, primarily in offering the seeker a 
structured set of practices toward the goal of maturity. In a religious 
order, a candidate seeking spiritual maturity enters a community 
whose rule of life forms the candidate through spiritual disciplines 
of worship, prayer, study, confession, and service. In the academic 
setting, the telos of scholarly maturity involves librarians as members 
of the formational community which admits aspiring scholars to the 
academic disciplines of the curriculum, such as reading, study, courses 
and fieldwork, and writing, alongside community exercises of worship, 
meals, and prayer.

We have both formerly worked as librarians at Harding School of 
Theology (HST) in Memphis, Tennessee.  In August 2023, Harding 
University announced plans to move the Harding School of Theology 
to the university’s main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. To give the 
HST community an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of its 
66-year presence in Memphis, the seminary planned a Homecoming 
in April 2024 and invited presentations from alumni about the semi-
nary’s contributions to various scholarly disciplines. Dr. Berryhill 
was asked to present a study of the L. M. Graves Memorial Library’s 
contributions to theological scholarship. That April 2024 presenta-
tion gave rise to this presentation, in which we describe the role of 
the librarians in the intentional formation of scholars.



58    ATL A 2024 PROCEEDINGS

SCHOLARLY FORMATION’S PARALLELS TO SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The maturing of scholars is in some ways parallel to the discipline 
of spiritual formation. Both these transformative processes have 
a telos, an end toward which the process aims, that is, a maturity 
that equips the candidate for a life of service in community and in 
the world. Second, both processes receive candidates who desire 
formation into a community. Third, the community defines and 
governs intentional practices, or disciplines, by which the candidate 
is shaped toward the telos, whether that end is spiritual maturity 
or scholarship.

THE TELOS OF SCHOLARLY FORMATION AT HST

In the academic world, maturity is called scholarship. Scholarship 
is participation in intellectual discourse in a disciplinary commu-
nity which has conventions of inquiry and standards of authority, 
namely advancement of knowledge, governed by peer review. A 
scholar is someone whose wide and deep knowledge has produced 
recognized advancement in their discipline. A scholar becomes an 
authority by building an outstanding record of achievement recog-
nized by their peers.

The Mission Statement on the 2024 HST website says that it “chal-
lenges Christian leaders to develop deeper faith in God and higher 
standards of ministry and scholarship.” It “challenges Christian 
leaders to integrate spiritual growth, ministry experience, and rigor-
ous scholarship.” The website’s “About Us” page asserts, “We hope 
to build leaders who can build communities, all through the power 
of Scripture scholarship and academic rigor.”  The online catalog 
of Harding School of Theology says it “provides quality training 
for excellence in ministry and scholarship. We offer strong biblical 
and theological scholarship that is seasoned with a commitment to 
ministry. Consequently, our mission is to produce biblically informed 
and spiritually mature men and women who will devote themselves 
to long-term ministry.” (HST 2024)

So, Harding School of Theology sees itself as an academic com-
munity that intends to form students by a system of discipline as 
scholars for service to the churches. 



Papers    59

THE FORMATIONAL COMMUNITY AT HST

People desiring formation seek a community which will be partners 
in the seeker’s transformation. Who are the formational members? 
In Catholic religious orders, for example, the person seeking spiri-
tual formation enters a covenanted community to live according to 
a community rule, such as the Rule of St. Benedict.  While various 
traditions and communities have varying rules for their members, 
they all have covenantal rules which vest authority in the com-
munity, and to which the entering candidate vows obedience. The 
communities also have senior members whose responsibility it is to 
lead and govern the community, its work, and its worship. Modern 
universities, which evolved from these historic communities, have 
parallel community structures.

In modern academic settings, the authority of the community lies 
not in the church but in its accreditation, that is, recognition by peer 
institutions in its accrediting association. The association develops 
and expresses a set of standards to which member institutions (and 
their libraries) agree to conform and to which member institutions 
hold each other accountable. These standards and the policies to 
implement them are communicated to prospective students by the 
school’s catalog, which prescribes degree plans, the courses of study, 
and the regulations which govern the faculty and students.

At HST, the faculty, including the librarians, govern the curricu-
lum by developing it, approving changes, and deciding together 
what degree programs and requirements will meet the needs of 
the students and the accreditation standards. The classroom faculty 
and the library faculty serve on committees together. Together they 
support research and the development of the library for the sake 
of the curriculum. The head librarian is the collection development 
officer, scouring publication notices, reviews, and catalogs, as well 
as receiving recommendations and requests from classroom faculty, 
students, alumni, and other researchers. From 1962 to 2023, the 
library collection grew from 7,000 to 177,000 volumes, including 
ebooks.

Community life in many seminaries before the internet age was 
primarily residential. Although commuting students from the region 
also enrolled, HST steadily increased student housing spaces on cam-
pus from the 1960s through the 1990s. From 1962 until her marriage 



60    ATL A 2024 PROCEEDINGS

in 1978, the founding librarian Annie May Lewis (née Alston) lived 
on campus as well, and even brought her mother to live with her 
there. “I thought I was the most blessed of all the faculty members 
because I lived with the students day in and day out,” she wrote in 
1996 (Lewis 1996, 1). A classroom building also included a kitchen, 
a student lounge, a heritage room, and a large auditorium. Campus 
life also included daily worship in the chapel in the historic Mansion, 
which served as the offices for faculty and staff.

The campus community included not only the faculty but also the 
staff and a student association. HST relied on enthusiastic support 
from Memphis-area congregations for meals, events, and fundrais-
ers. The faculty served as elders, ministers, counselors, and teachers 
in these congregations. The professors wrote and spoke not only 
for the academy but also for the churches. Students also served as 
ministers and teachers in many of these congregations.

THE FORMATIONAL DISCIPLINES AT HST

Traditional spiritual formation includes community and individual 
exercises of worship, prayer, study, confession, and service. 

Scholarly formation at HST includes, first of all, a curriculum 
developed and owned by the faculty. The foundation of that curricu-
lum is a research methods course required of students in the first 
nine hours of their degree program. Since 1968, the head librarian 
at Harding School of Theology has taught this three-hour course. 
The course introduces students to graduate study in general, to 
the library’s personnel and physical plant, to theological research 
tools such as reference books and databases, and to conventions of 
writing and documentation expected by the classroom faculty. In 
2022, a DMin introductory course was added, taught by the librar-
ian and the DMin director, on the purpose, methods, and skills of 
ministry research.

After these foundational experiences establish a relationship with 
the library and librarians, students consult frequently with the librar-
ians for help in research and writing. This relationship continues 
long after the students graduate and enter careers in ministry or 
academic work. Graduates have lifetime borrowing privileges and 
alumni access to databases.



Papers    61

As the school, like other seminaries, has adopted remote and 
hybrid course models, the library has used endowment income to 
purchase ebooks and database subscriptions. The library “computer 
lab” has been converted to a “smart classroom” for both remote/
hybrid teaching and for conventional instruction.

Scholarly formation of students outside of classes also includes 
reading and conversation. In successive renovations, the library has 
taken pains to include spaces for coffee and conversation, group 
work, use of electronic resources, and reading.

The faculty in the classroom and in the library model scholar-
ship, select resources such as textbooks and field experiences, teach 
courses, direct reading and research, evaluate student work, super-
vise student assistants, and mentor developing scholars by including 
them in conferences, writing, and publishing opportunities. 

These formative practices have produced scholars in universities 
and seminaries, as well as ministers whose scholarship benefits the 
church.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

Several attendees expressed appreciation for the usefulness of the 
parallel between spiritual and scholarly formation.

REFERENCES

Harding School of Theology. 2024. https://www.harding.edu/hst/

Lewis, Annie May. 1996. “Campus Housing: More Than Bricks and 
Mortar.” The Bulletin 37 (3): 1.

https://www.harding.edu/hst/



