Collection management in libraries has changed over the past generation in libraries and will und... more Collection management in libraries has changed over the past generation in libraries and will undoubtedly continue to do so. In a world of e-books, physical space pressure, consortial reciprocal borrowing, blossoming journal prices, shrinking monograph budgets, and declining print circulation, what is the role of the physical collection in a religious studies or theological library? In this panel discussion, three librarians from various types of religious libraries explore this question through their respective institutional contexts.
Latter-Day Lore: Mormon Folklore Studies. ed. eric A. eliason and tom mould. (Salt lake city: uni... more Latter-Day Lore: Mormon Folklore Studies. ed. eric A. eliason and tom mould. (Salt lake city: university of utah Press, 2013. Pp. xii + 591, acknowledgments, introduction, photographs, diagrams, notes, bibliography, and index.)Latter-Day Lore is a collection of essays by premier folklorists who study the folklore of the church of Jesus christ of latter-day Saints (lDS). edited by eric A. eliason and tom mould, this is a timely compilation coming off of a decade of mormonism in the spotlight. The 2002 Salt lake city Winter olympics, popular authors like Stephenie meyer and brandon Sanderson, contemporary musicians brandon Flowers, lindsey Stirling, and imagine Dragons, The Book of Mormon Musical, and, of course, california Proposition 8 and the candidacies of mitt romney have all generated a frenzy of interest about mormons and their beliefs, traditions, and quirks.The anthology includes 28 individual chapters, many of which have been published elsewhere. the editors have included several illustrations and charts, along with extensive notes for each chapter, and a separate comprehensive bibliography. broken up into six major sections, the editors begin each section with an insightful overview that provides valuable context.In their introduction to the collection, eliason and mould identify the various origins of mormon folklore and discuss the major players in mormon folklore studies, including William A. Wilson, Austin e. Fife, and Jill terry rudy, all of whom have chapters in this book. After debating the challenges of folklore related to mormons, eliason and mould present a working definition of mormon folklore: "(1) folklore performed by a substantial number of mormons, (2) folklore about mormons, and (3) folklore analyzed for its connection to mormon culture and identity" (p. 9). The editors then hypothesize that folklore is a major part of the mormon experience because of the general admonition within the church to develop genealogies and family histories. mormons are trained storytellers from infancy, hearing tales of their pioneer ancestors coming across the plains, reading family mission journals, or listening to their grandmothers' conversion stories. likewise, mormon theology grew from a personal narrative tradition, beginning with the story of Joseph Smith and his communion with God and Jesus and with angels. each month, faithful mormons attend congregational testimony meetings in which believers stand before their peers and witness their beliefs publicly, and narrate their own personal conversions.To conclude their introduction, the editors address head-on the tension between mormon folklore and being a mormon folklore scholar. This discussion includes identifying the complex nature of membership in the lDS church and how that has influenced mormon scholars. eliason and mould claim that, despite this tension, the treatments in their compilation rise above self-censorship and are of full scholarly quality. The final pages of the conclusion offer apologies for not covering all aspects in mormon folklore equally and, in some cases, leaving out entire facets of the field. The editors soften the blow by assuring the reader that they have included at least some direction in these unexplored areas in their section introductions. in a gracious acknowledgment of their own limitations, eliason and mould then point to a welcome list of potential areas for future mormon folklore exploration."Part 1: mormondom as regional culture" contains five studies on the intermountain West, dealing largely in material culture, such as art, gravestones, architecture, and homemade farm machinery. hal cannon explores the pervasive icon of the beehive in latter-day Saint customs and structures. Latter-Day Lore itself boasts an image of the beehive on its cover and a bee on the dividing pages of each section of the book, supporting cannon's thoughts on the significance of the bee in mormon iconography."Part 2: making mormons" also has five essays, each of which discusses rituals, rites of passage, and other mormon customs and traditions. …
This paper will compare various LibGuides in theology from thirty-seven different institutions. T... more This paper will compare various LibGuides in theology from thirty-seven different institutions. These institutions include universities granting undergraduate and graduate degrees in religion or theology as well as seminaries for professional clergy. Data on LibGuides content, such as books, ebooks, journals, databases, librarian contact information, and others, will be compared and analyzed. Resources especially tailored to religious and theological studies will also be highlighted.
In order to fulfill our mission, theological librarians need to anticipate research needs of grad... more In order to fulfill our mission, theological librarians need to anticipate research needs of graduate students and faculty whose work often entails asking new questions, forming new connections, and seeking new avenues of inquiry that may lie beyond our subject expertise. What low-cost sources and tools are available that allow librarians to monitor research trends in relevant disciplines and thereby prepare ourselves to support those pursuing emerging research trajectories? How do we form the connections with current and incoming graduate students and new faculty that will enable us to anticipate their research needs? Experienced public services librarians will facilitate a conversation to address these and related questions. This session is sponsored by the Public Services Interest Group (PSIG).
Over the past couple of decades, the media and popular culture have been increasingly interested ... more Over the past couple of decades, the media and popular culture have been increasingly interested in members of the LDS Church, its leadership, and its practices. With all of this recent interest, it is possible that a religious studies librarian at an institution of higher education or at a theological seminary could conceivably receive an occasional query regarding Mormonism, either out of popular culture curiosity or for academic investigation. This essay will review major sources in this growing field for any who wish to either assist patrons in comparative religion projects related to Mormonism, develop a working collection in Mormon studies, or both.
Because of humanity's fixation on death, religion and the afterlife have played a part in human c... more Because of humanity's fixation on death, religion and the afterlife have played a part in human culture throughout history. As a result, belief, religion, and theology have been central to the main action of stories since the earliest forms of literature. One of the greatest ancient literary genres, the epic, is no exception.
Epics have many universal characteristics, such as elevated language in poetic form, vast settings, and strong protagonists who demonstrate feats of great strength and genius. They also commonly contain "supernatural forces-gods, angels, and demons-[who] interest themselves in the action" (Harmon and Holman 185). After the Renaissance, the epic lost two of its most fundamental qualities. First, it was typically no longer written in verse, as the novel became the preferred form with which to tell a long tale. Second, the "gods, angels, and demons" who engage directly in the action of the story disappeared. The first claim is typically accepted by critics, although with some exceptions. Herbert F. Tucker is one such skeptic. Tucker fights an uphill battle to demonstrate that the epic did not die out but flourished from the Romantic to the Edwardian ages. Despite his honorable task, Tucker is forced to acknowledge that most critics "depict prose fiction as the genre in which modernity stands forth over epic's dead body" ( 4). The second claim, that the epic lost its gods and demons, caused a trifurcation of the epic poem into separate subgenres: the social epic, the sacred epic, and the supernatural epic. When the gods, angels, and demons of the epic were split from the tradition, the social epic was created, while the sacred epic retained ancient epic religiosity. ln the twentieth century, as religion became more ambiguous in society, even those authors who wished to write about the supernatural and otherworldly distanced themselves from theology, creating the supernatural epic.
Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services, 2011
Many libraries are engaging in interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand without fully acknowledging a... more Many libraries are engaging in interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand without fully acknowledging all of the costs of adding such titles to their collections. This study compares the costs of monograph interlibrary loans and the costs of monograph accession, including staffing overhead costs for both. In order to be truly cost-effective, interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand titles must have a minimum projected circulation, depending
Collection management in libraries has changed over the past generation in libraries and will und... more Collection management in libraries has changed over the past generation in libraries and will undoubtedly continue to do so. In a world of e-books, physical space pressure, consortial reciprocal borrowing, blossoming journal prices, shrinking monograph budgets, and declining print circulation, what is the role of the physical collection in a religious studies or theological library? In this panel discussion, three librarians from various types of religious libraries explore this question through their respective institutional contexts.
Latter-Day Lore: Mormon Folklore Studies. ed. eric A. eliason and tom mould. (Salt lake city: uni... more Latter-Day Lore: Mormon Folklore Studies. ed. eric A. eliason and tom mould. (Salt lake city: university of utah Press, 2013. Pp. xii + 591, acknowledgments, introduction, photographs, diagrams, notes, bibliography, and index.)Latter-Day Lore is a collection of essays by premier folklorists who study the folklore of the church of Jesus christ of latter-day Saints (lDS). edited by eric A. eliason and tom mould, this is a timely compilation coming off of a decade of mormonism in the spotlight. The 2002 Salt lake city Winter olympics, popular authors like Stephenie meyer and brandon Sanderson, contemporary musicians brandon Flowers, lindsey Stirling, and imagine Dragons, The Book of Mormon Musical, and, of course, california Proposition 8 and the candidacies of mitt romney have all generated a frenzy of interest about mormons and their beliefs, traditions, and quirks.The anthology includes 28 individual chapters, many of which have been published elsewhere. the editors have included several illustrations and charts, along with extensive notes for each chapter, and a separate comprehensive bibliography. broken up into six major sections, the editors begin each section with an insightful overview that provides valuable context.In their introduction to the collection, eliason and mould identify the various origins of mormon folklore and discuss the major players in mormon folklore studies, including William A. Wilson, Austin e. Fife, and Jill terry rudy, all of whom have chapters in this book. After debating the challenges of folklore related to mormons, eliason and mould present a working definition of mormon folklore: "(1) folklore performed by a substantial number of mormons, (2) folklore about mormons, and (3) folklore analyzed for its connection to mormon culture and identity" (p. 9). The editors then hypothesize that folklore is a major part of the mormon experience because of the general admonition within the church to develop genealogies and family histories. mormons are trained storytellers from infancy, hearing tales of their pioneer ancestors coming across the plains, reading family mission journals, or listening to their grandmothers' conversion stories. likewise, mormon theology grew from a personal narrative tradition, beginning with the story of Joseph Smith and his communion with God and Jesus and with angels. each month, faithful mormons attend congregational testimony meetings in which believers stand before their peers and witness their beliefs publicly, and narrate their own personal conversions.To conclude their introduction, the editors address head-on the tension between mormon folklore and being a mormon folklore scholar. This discussion includes identifying the complex nature of membership in the lDS church and how that has influenced mormon scholars. eliason and mould claim that, despite this tension, the treatments in their compilation rise above self-censorship and are of full scholarly quality. The final pages of the conclusion offer apologies for not covering all aspects in mormon folklore equally and, in some cases, leaving out entire facets of the field. The editors soften the blow by assuring the reader that they have included at least some direction in these unexplored areas in their section introductions. in a gracious acknowledgment of their own limitations, eliason and mould then point to a welcome list of potential areas for future mormon folklore exploration."Part 1: mormondom as regional culture" contains five studies on the intermountain West, dealing largely in material culture, such as art, gravestones, architecture, and homemade farm machinery. hal cannon explores the pervasive icon of the beehive in latter-day Saint customs and structures. Latter-Day Lore itself boasts an image of the beehive on its cover and a bee on the dividing pages of each section of the book, supporting cannon's thoughts on the significance of the bee in mormon iconography."Part 2: making mormons" also has five essays, each of which discusses rituals, rites of passage, and other mormon customs and traditions. …
This paper will compare various LibGuides in theology from thirty-seven different institutions. T... more This paper will compare various LibGuides in theology from thirty-seven different institutions. These institutions include universities granting undergraduate and graduate degrees in religion or theology as well as seminaries for professional clergy. Data on LibGuides content, such as books, ebooks, journals, databases, librarian contact information, and others, will be compared and analyzed. Resources especially tailored to religious and theological studies will also be highlighted.
In order to fulfill our mission, theological librarians need to anticipate research needs of grad... more In order to fulfill our mission, theological librarians need to anticipate research needs of graduate students and faculty whose work often entails asking new questions, forming new connections, and seeking new avenues of inquiry that may lie beyond our subject expertise. What low-cost sources and tools are available that allow librarians to monitor research trends in relevant disciplines and thereby prepare ourselves to support those pursuing emerging research trajectories? How do we form the connections with current and incoming graduate students and new faculty that will enable us to anticipate their research needs? Experienced public services librarians will facilitate a conversation to address these and related questions. This session is sponsored by the Public Services Interest Group (PSIG).
Over the past couple of decades, the media and popular culture have been increasingly interested ... more Over the past couple of decades, the media and popular culture have been increasingly interested in members of the LDS Church, its leadership, and its practices. With all of this recent interest, it is possible that a religious studies librarian at an institution of higher education or at a theological seminary could conceivably receive an occasional query regarding Mormonism, either out of popular culture curiosity or for academic investigation. This essay will review major sources in this growing field for any who wish to either assist patrons in comparative religion projects related to Mormonism, develop a working collection in Mormon studies, or both.
Because of humanity's fixation on death, religion and the afterlife have played a part in human c... more Because of humanity's fixation on death, religion and the afterlife have played a part in human culture throughout history. As a result, belief, religion, and theology have been central to the main action of stories since the earliest forms of literature. One of the greatest ancient literary genres, the epic, is no exception.
Epics have many universal characteristics, such as elevated language in poetic form, vast settings, and strong protagonists who demonstrate feats of great strength and genius. They also commonly contain "supernatural forces-gods, angels, and demons-[who] interest themselves in the action" (Harmon and Holman 185). After the Renaissance, the epic lost two of its most fundamental qualities. First, it was typically no longer written in verse, as the novel became the preferred form with which to tell a long tale. Second, the "gods, angels, and demons" who engage directly in the action of the story disappeared. The first claim is typically accepted by critics, although with some exceptions. Herbert F. Tucker is one such skeptic. Tucker fights an uphill battle to demonstrate that the epic did not die out but flourished from the Romantic to the Edwardian ages. Despite his honorable task, Tucker is forced to acknowledge that most critics "depict prose fiction as the genre in which modernity stands forth over epic's dead body" ( 4). The second claim, that the epic lost its gods and demons, caused a trifurcation of the epic poem into separate subgenres: the social epic, the sacred epic, and the supernatural epic. When the gods, angels, and demons of the epic were split from the tradition, the social epic was created, while the sacred epic retained ancient epic religiosity. ln the twentieth century, as religion became more ambiguous in society, even those authors who wished to write about the supernatural and otherworldly distanced themselves from theology, creating the supernatural epic.
Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services, 2011
Many libraries are engaging in interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand without fully acknowledging a... more Many libraries are engaging in interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand without fully acknowledging all of the costs of adding such titles to their collections. This study compares the costs of monograph interlibrary loans and the costs of monograph accession, including staffing overhead costs for both. In order to be truly cost-effective, interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand titles must have a minimum projected circulation, depending
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Papers by Gerrit van Dyk
Epics have many universal characteristics, such as elevated language in poetic form, vast settings, and strong protagonists who demonstrate feats of great strength and genius. They also commonly contain "supernatural forces-gods, angels, and demons-[who] interest themselves in the action" (Harmon and Holman 185). After the Renaissance, the epic lost two of its most fundamental qualities. First, it was typically no longer written in verse, as the novel became the preferred form with which to tell a long tale. Second, the "gods, angels, and demons" who engage directly in the action of the story disappeared. The first claim is typically accepted by critics, although with some exceptions. Herbert F. Tucker is one such skeptic. Tucker fights an uphill battle to demonstrate that the epic did not die out but flourished from the Romantic to the Edwardian ages. Despite his honorable task, Tucker is forced to acknowledge that most critics "depict prose fiction as the genre in which modernity stands forth over epic's dead body" ( 4). The second claim, that the epic lost its gods and demons, caused a trifurcation of the epic poem into separate subgenres: the social epic, the sacred epic, and the supernatural epic. When the gods, angels, and demons of the epic were split from the tradition, the social epic was created, while the sacred epic retained ancient epic religiosity. ln the twentieth century, as religion became more ambiguous in society, even those authors who wished to write about the supernatural and otherworldly distanced themselves from theology, creating the supernatural epic.
Epics have many universal characteristics, such as elevated language in poetic form, vast settings, and strong protagonists who demonstrate feats of great strength and genius. They also commonly contain "supernatural forces-gods, angels, and demons-[who] interest themselves in the action" (Harmon and Holman 185). After the Renaissance, the epic lost two of its most fundamental qualities. First, it was typically no longer written in verse, as the novel became the preferred form with which to tell a long tale. Second, the "gods, angels, and demons" who engage directly in the action of the story disappeared. The first claim is typically accepted by critics, although with some exceptions. Herbert F. Tucker is one such skeptic. Tucker fights an uphill battle to demonstrate that the epic did not die out but flourished from the Romantic to the Edwardian ages. Despite his honorable task, Tucker is forced to acknowledge that most critics "depict prose fiction as the genre in which modernity stands forth over epic's dead body" ( 4). The second claim, that the epic lost its gods and demons, caused a trifurcation of the epic poem into separate subgenres: the social epic, the sacred epic, and the supernatural epic. When the gods, angels, and demons of the epic were split from the tradition, the social epic was created, while the sacred epic retained ancient epic religiosity. ln the twentieth century, as religion became more ambiguous in society, even those authors who wished to write about the supernatural and otherworldly distanced themselves from theology, creating the supernatural epic.