The College of Theology Library is a department library comprising the Central Philippine University Libraries. The other components of the University Libraries (Henry Luce III Library) are the Law Library, Graduate Studies Library, Junior High School Library, Senior High School Library, Elementary Library, and Kindergarten Library. The departmental libraries are in their departments except the Theology Library, Law Library, and Graduate Studies Library which are housed at Henry Luce III Library together with other library sections.

Statement of Purpose

The Theology Library is committed to providing comprehensive resources and services that support the College of Theology in its mission to “provide students quality theological education and training opportunities for the development and growth of the churches’ spirituality and community life”. As a second home of the College Seminary for solemn study, the Theology Library and its surroundings offer a quiet place for learning, reflection, and prayer to help students, faculty, and scholars in theology and religious studies meet their academic and research needs.

 

Specific Theology Library Objectives

In order to fulfill the aforementioned Statement of Purpose, the Theology Library describes its specific objectives as follows:

1. Supporting Academic Programs: Ensure that the library’s collection appropriately aligns with the curriculum and research needs of theology students and faculty.
2. Diverse and Inclusive Collections: Acquire and maintain a diverse and comprehensive collection of theological resources, including historical works, contemporary studies, academic journals, and digital resources. 
3. Resource Accessibility: Make resources easily accessible for all library users to a wide range of theological texts, including rare and historical works, academic research, digital resources, and online databases.
4. Online Catalog: Users can search for items by title, author, subject, keyword, or other criteria, making it easy to locate specific resources using the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). It can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing users to explore the library’s collection remotely.
5.  Academic Support: Library personnel support, study rooms; and provides quiet and conducive library facilities can all help to facilitate research and learning outcomes.
6. Community Engagement: Promote an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere where diverse religious and theological perspectives can be explored and respected.
7. Preservation: Acquiring and preserving valuable theological materials and special collections that hold historical and scholarly value.
8. Orientation Programs: Participate in the College of Theology Retreat and conduct regular orientation to new and returning students, faculty, and scholars to familiarize them with the library’s layout, services, and resources.
9. Dissemination of Information. Disseminate newly acquired materials, subscribed databases, and other open-access resources to the students and faculty through orientations, social media platforms, websites, and emails.
10. Collaborative Consortiums: Active partnerships with other libraries, educational institutions, and religious organizations to expand resource sharing and collaborative research opportunities.
11. Outreach Programs: Engage in outreach initiatives such as the “hakot book program”, unused shelves and books donations to pastors, churches, and other school seminaries, and community reading programs to raise awareness of library resources and services.

 

Library Patrons

As the College of Theology Library, all COT students, faculty, and staff, whether undergraduate or graduate programs are welcome to use and borrow the library materials. As a member of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches Inc. and Library Consortiums, we allow pastors, alumni, and visitors from these institutions to use the library facilities and resources.

Library Service Hours

Monday – Friday   

8:00 AM TO 12:00 NN

1:00 PM TO 5:00 PM

Lunch Break           

12:00 NN TO 1:00 PM

Saturday                    

8:00 AM TO 12:00 NN

Proper Decorum in the Library

1. Quiet Environment: Speak softly, and avoid loud conversations or phone calls. The library is a place for quiet study and reflection
2. Respect Personal Space: Avoid crowding others or invading their personal space. Find an area where you may work comfortably without disturbing others. Chairs and tables should not be dragged from one place to another.
3. Handle Books with Care: Treat books and other materials gently. Leave them on the table after use. Library student assistants are responsible for returning them to their proper place.
4. No Food or Drinks: Eating or drinking can damage library materials and create a mess. Eat your munchies before entering the library.
5. Use Devices Considerately: If you need to use electronic devices, set them to silent mode and use headphones to avoid disturbing others.
6. Depository of Bags. All students and visitors entering the library must drop their bags and other possessions, excluding money and other valuables, at the Depository Area on the ground floor.
7. Photocopying.

• Permission Required: Library users must first obtain permission from library personnel or library student assistants at the counter before making photocopies of Theology Library collections.
• Limited Copies: Only short portions of books, like a chapter or a few pages, may be photocopied. Copying an entire book is generally prohibited.
• Fair Use: Photocopies should be made for personal study, research, or educational purposes only. They should not be used for commercial gain or distribution.
• Returning of Books. Return the book to the counter desk after photocopying it with no damage or loss of pages.

Library Resources

The library has a collection, particularly in topics that assist the College of Theology’s program namely: Biblical Studies, Christian Education, Historical Studies, Pastoral Studies, Research, Spiritual Formation, Theological Studies, and Music. It also maintains other topics of interest to our Seminary community and builds upon our already distinctive collections.

To support the research needs of our students and faculty, the library subscribed to recent journals such as the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, Interpretation, Feminist Theology, Christian Educational Journal, Religious Education, Theological Education, and other journals and articles available in the library. Additionally, the Library subscribes to online resources such as Global Digital Theological Library (GDTL), ProQuest (Religion Database), American Theological Library Association (ATLA), and CPU LibGuides (Theology) or research guides for various topics and open access resources. Other sources are active linkage to the American Baptist Historical Society, Langham Partnership, and many more.

Theology Collections                                                                       

Circulations Collection

Fiction Collections                                                                                       

Filipiniana Collections                                                                                              

Music Collections (including Knox)                                                   

Old Books                                                                                                       

Pamphlet Collections                                                                                             

Reference Collections                                                                                            

Reserve Collections                                                                                 

Thesis & Dissertation Collections                                                                                   

Bibles

     English Language                                                                       

     Foreign Language                                                           

     Philippine Language                                                                

Special Collections

     AGAPE Collections                                                                                   

     Genaro Diesto Collections                                                  

     Ralph Elliott Collections                                                            

     Women’s Studies Collections