Atla Annual 2024

The Graduate Theological Library is a consortial library located in Berkeley, California, serving the students of the GTU consortium. The GTU consists of nine separately accredited Theological Schools from Catholic, Protestant, and Buddhist traditions, five academic centers, seven affiliates, and non-degree certificates, which include the traditions of Islam, Jewish, Hindu, Baha'i, and interfaith practices, such as the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program. The degree programs are at the graduate level and include DMin, MDiv, MA, and PhD, with the library serving as the connecting hub of all students.

As part of the five-year campus strategic plan that began in January 2021, the Graduate Theological Union Library was required to reduce its physical space by almost half (a reduction of 15,742 sq ft) and reduce our budget and staffing through a reorganization and reduction of hours. At the same time, we increased patrons' access to resources, all in the middle of a pandemic and remaining open through construction phases. This presentation details how we made decisions about the collection shifted staffing to serve all patrons better. The alterations to the library were completed by January 2023, with other floors completed by January 2024. During this period, the GTU consortium added a member school and several affiliates, serving Theological Schools outside of California for the first time. In early 2024, our Collection Development Policy was revised to reflect our emphasis on online access and the changing demographics of our students. A strong partnership with Internet Archive is a cornerstone to achieving our mutual goals of providing open online access to theological materials. We continue to adapt our services and collections in the face of declining enrollment, a trend shared by many in our discipline. As we go forward, we are deep in assessment and evaluation as we create the next phase of what the library will become.