The Role of the Theological Library in Scholarly Formation

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.