The Library at St. Paul's
History
Creating a library was a principal goal in designing the new parish hall in 2015. The design committee settled on a second-floor space “off the beaten track” providing for quiet and, with a broad window, allowing for natural light. Shortly after completing the building in 2017, Kent and Christopher Sterling built beautiful shelving covering three of the walls. At that point, the organizers—David Rowe, Libby Willis, and Rachel Kirk—developed the first plan, began accepting donations of books and other study materials, and created an organizing scheme based on broad themes and sub-themes. The Library had become a reality.
Since then, its scope has evolved to become what is today a usable, practical resource to assist parishioners as we work to fulfill our mission—"forming people into the body of Christ.” Not intended to be comprehensively Christian, it offers books and materials that focus on helping us as we disciple ourselves and others. It is, therefore, Episcopal and Anglican reflecting our mainstream, “broad church” culture mixing catholic, evangelical, and orthodox approaches to faith and worship. Almost all the materials on the shelves have been donated, sorted, and occasionally culled to maintain this focus. They are all available to parishioners to read in the room or to borrow. We invite you to visit, peruse the shelves, and enjoy discovering the rich traditions that shaped us in faith and ministry.
How To Use The Library
If you wish to borrow a book, simply fill out a card located in the black box on the window shelf with your name, the title of the book, some way to contact you, and the date you borrowed it and place it in the front of the box Please try to return the item within four weeks. Simply leave it on the back window shelf and someone will reshelve it and note its return on the card you filled out.
The organization of the shelves is intended to help you find a specific book or browse more generally. There are seven themes, each designated by a color, and for each main theme from three to six sub-themes each with its own color. Every book has two color dots, the top one indicating the major theme and the bottom one the sub-theme. The sections have theme labels on the edge of the shelves, and their location is indicated on the chart below.
To find a book, click on the database for author, title, or theme and search for the name of the author or title. To browse a category, go to the Theme database and find the categories listed in the last two columns. There is also a paper printout of these databases in a notebook on the window shelf in the library. With only a few exceptions, books are arranged on the shelves in each subsection alphabetically by the last name of the author.
Click the boxes below to view the themes and their sub-themes.