BETH Bulletin: European Theological Librarianship

Editors' Preface

Hannie Riley, Esther Jeon, Jussi Hyvärinen — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Farewell Message from the President to the Leaving Secretary

Stefano Malaspina — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

As Henrik steps down from his role asSecretary of BETH, I wanted to mark the occasion in this Bulletin.

From the very start, his style impressed me: however busy he was, he always found the time, and somehow made it feel unhurried. I was particularly struck by how quickly he replied to my messages. His manner was light—never heavy-handed—but never superficial either. Behind the ease was real substance, and he made it all look effortless.

This combination contributed greatly to the atmosphere of BETH itself. He has a gift for building a collaborative spirit and genuinely cares about relationships across our wonderfully diverse community—an original blend of Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe.

Melody Jane Mazuk (1957 - 2026)

Marian Papavoine, Judy Smith-Blow — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

What AI Did Next

Christine Love-Rodgers — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

In September 2025, I was privileged to attend the BETH (Bibliothèques Européennes deThéologie) conference in Stavanger, Norway, which had the theme of exploring AI’s role in Theological libraries. I really appreciated the practical nature of many of the papers in this conference, which highlighted projects and processes using AI that had been implemented in libraries. I also felt that there was also a second theme or undercurrent: that of highlighting the human value of libraries and the books they contain.

Some Personal Reflections on the ABTAPL's 70th Anniversary Conference 2026

Rosslyn Johnston — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This year’s conference for ABTAPL (the Association of British Theological and Philosophical Libraries) took place in Oxford on 26th-28th March. This was more than just the standard annual conference, as it also marked the70th anniversary of ABTAPL as an organisation. On a personal level, it was also a somewhat unusual conference for me as it was not only my first time attending an ABTAPL conference but, as the recently appointed Librarian of Yarnton Manor and Acting Conference Secretary, I was also involved with the planning and operation. This gave me a dual perspective, as I attended most sessions as a delegate (albeit with some organisational obligations), but was also given a ‘behind the curtain’ idea of how the conference is coordinated and run.

The Word God Spoken

Martha Simpson — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Supporting Green Open Access in the Study of Religion

Mareike Heinritz — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article describes a service set up by the department for specialised information services at Tübingen University Library that supports scholars in the study of religion in self-archiving their published articles. Launched in 2023, RelBib Self-Archiving offers researchers a user-friendly option to directly upload their articles to RelBib, the international Open Access Bibliography of the Study of Religion. This allows them to make their scholarly output searchable and freely available to other researchers worldwide via Green Open Access. Together with the person information pages in RelBib, this service helps to significantly increase the visibility of both individual authors and the community of scholars active in the study of religion as a whole.

The BETH Archives

Stefano Malaspina — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

BETH (Bibliothèques Européennes de Théologie) has for decades served as a meeting point for professionals who share a common goal: making theological knowledge accessible across Europe. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of BETH’s documents and archives. The change in the Presidency (and then in the secretarial staff, following the consistent and significant work carried out by Matina Curic) has once more highlighted the need to preserve a record of the work she undertook, as well as of those who were involved with the Association before her.

Due to the complex history of BETH, there is no single archive containing all the documents produced by all the presidents and secretaries over the years. In 2023, an archival reconnaissance and description project was undertaken for two collections of BETH documents, now held at two locations at KU Leuven: namely at KADOC (Documentation and Research Centre on Religion, Culture and Society), and at the Maurits Sabbe Library. This article presents the results of that work, with the hope of making the archive better known to the BETH community and of stimulating further research into the association's history.

The Bilbao Diocesan Library: From an Academic Support Centre to a Heritage Reference Point

Jaime López de Eguilaz Munsuri — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Bilbao (Roman Catholic Diocese of Bilbao n.d.), this article aims to show the history and transformation of the library from its foundation as a study centre, through critical periods of hardship, and recent ventures into AI (artificial Intelligence), with an ultimately hopeful outlook towards a future in which it seeks to serve both the diocesan community and wider society.

My library reflects a situation that occurs in many Church libraries in Spain associated with ABIE (Asociación de Bibliotecarios de la Iglesia en España (ABIE) n.d.), which are generally libraries with large collections of historical and cultural significance, yet possess very limited financial and human resources. Even so, these libraries are joining forces, seeking synergies, and training themselves professionally and technically with simple projects that utilise AI.

Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary Library: Our Story

Roman Shvets — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The library of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) began to take shape in 1993. Its development was closely linked to the establishment of the seminary, which began in 1992.
At the time of the seminary’s move from Transcarpathia to Kyiv in 1994, its book collection numbered approximately 200 copies. These were mostly reference books and Bible commentaries.
From 1994 to 1997, the Assemblies of God in Australia made a significant contribution to the library toward the purchase of literature. Books were sought in various places: second-hand shops, book markets, and Christian stores. In 1998, when the seminary moved to the village of Boyarka, its collections already consisted of several thousand books and Christian magazines. After the seminary moved to Pushcha-Vodytsia in 2000, the library was housed in a large space complete with a reading room containing computers, as well as book storage. This marked a new milestone in the development of the UETS library.
Two events played an important role in the life of the library. The first was the visit of Bill Armerding in 1998, who had been president of the Canadian organisation Overseas Council since 1993. This organisation cooperates with Bible colleges and seminaries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Armerding’s visit opened up new opportunities for financial support that significantly improved both the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the library’s collection. A second important event was the cooperation of the UETS with the University of California, which began in 2009 within the framework of research projects devoted to the history and theology of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement. This partnership provided a powerful impetus to the development of the library and the formation of a scientific research base. Of particular value are periodicals, primary documents, archival materials on church-state relations, as well as interviews with participants during periods of historical significance in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras.

From Paper to FAIR

Henrik Holtvedt Andersen — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This paper examines a case study on the digitization and "FAIRification" of Erling Birkedal’s longitudinal surveys on religiosity (1994–2017). It details a technical workflow involving AI-assisted transcription of handwritten data, and subsequent curation using AI and OpenRefine. The study evaluates the legal framework for this process, specifically the principle of "effective anonymization", while addressing the environmental footprint of AI infrastructure. Findings indicate that AI chatbots reduce the labor required to transform analog legacy data into structured formats, provided that a "human-in-the-loop" verification process is maintained to mitigate hallucinations. Furthermore, the study suggests that AI empowers librarians to perform complex data engineering tasks without deep programming knowledge, effectively lowering the entry barrier for advanced data stewardship. The article concludes that AI can be a useful tool in research data management of sensitive data, but its responsible implementation requires expert oversight to ensure both data accuracy and ethical compliance.

Ecotheology in an Age of Climate Emergency

Seoyoung Kim — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The climate emergency is no longer a matter of future risk but a condition shaping contemporary life. Prolonged heatwaves, unpredictable torrential rains, droughts, floods, and wildfires increasingly shape everyday experiences across the world. TheCOVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the fragility of human existence and revealed how deeply human economic systems, social structures, and patterns ofliving have wounded the natural world and the wider communities of life. Despite this reality, many people continue their lives without fully recognising that the created world is suffering. This lack of recognition is not only a moral failure but also poses a challenge for communities and institutions entrusted with learning, memory, and public understanding.

In this context, many Christians raise a fundamental question: what can faith say inthe face of the climate crisis? This question is not only practical or ethical but deeply theological. It concerns how God is understood, how humanity is located within creation, and how faith is lived in relation to the world. In response, this article traces several key theological shifts that have shaped contemporary ecotheology, highlighting how these shifts reframe Christian understandings of creation, human responsibility, and faithful practice in an age of climate emergency.

Co-workers in God's Revelation Based on Habakkuk 2:14

Guichun Jun — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Contemporary discourse in library and information science (LIS) has often proceeded on the assumption that the professional practice of librarianship can be understood in largely neutral terms. The core commitments of librarianship, such as intellectual freedom, equitable access, and knowledge organisation, are frequently presented as universal and self-evident, independent of any particular philosophical or theological framework. Yet this assumption has been increasingly challenged. As Herold (2001, 4–5) argues, librarianship is shaped by philosophical assumptions about knowledge, truth, and value, while Kirkland (2021) contends that appeals to neutrality can function to avoid controversy despite the fact that libraries inevitably operate within particular ethical and value-based frameworks.

These critiques raise important questions for Christian librarianship. If neutrality is untenable, then the relationship between faith and professional practice cannot be reduced to a private conviction alongside a supposedly neutral public role. Rather, librarianship must be understood as a vocation shaped by deeper commitments concerning truth, knowledge, and the flourishing of humanity.

Law, Information Governance & Collections

Christian Kim — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation in the United Kingdom is highly relevant to the information management field. Since the handling of personal information and confidential material is a common feature of archival and record-keeping work, a standardised set of laws which govern all bodies in the country regarding their use would be both beneficial and necessary for proper practice and implementation, particularly in the realm of accountability and best practice. Yet as both data protection and freedom of information laws have been implemented in practice, their introduction has posed new challenges for the field, largely regarding the costs of compliance and the ongoing tensions between access and confidentiality, both of which affect the core of information management principles.Thus, it is important to define the particulars of this legislation and how they affect archives and libraries in the United Kingdom. Only then can the vital role that both data protection and freedom of information laws play in providing trust and accountability to the public be fully understood as essential components of said regimes: a role of enough importance to override any concerns regarding their implementation.

The 54th Annual Conference of BETH

BETH — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Atla Annual 2026

ATLA — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Location: Denver, Colorado

Date: November 20–23, 2026

ABTAPL Spring Conference 2027

ABTAPL — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Location: Luther King, Manchester, UK

Date: 1-3 April 2027