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Full Mission
Statement:
Incorporating books, audio-visuals,
and electronic media, the library of Second
Baptist Church attempts to serve the spiritual
and informational needs of church members of
all ages. Staffed by volunteers, the library is a person-centered ministry
that promotes interest in both spiritual and
intellectual development. The library offers a variety of materials
to enhance the teaching ministry of the church,
encourages Bible study and understanding, and
loans uplifting and thought-provoking recreational
reading material. Participants in the many organizations
and programs of the church will find resources
for Biblical, devotional, mission, recreational,
administrative, and theological activities associated
with modern church functions.
The Library is one of the constituted
ministries of Second Baptist Church, Memphis,
and recognizes as its primary function the promulgation
of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah through its
various media and services. Subsumed within
this stated purpose are the following ancillary,
but substantive, aims: (1) to provide wisely
selected books, pamphlets, audio-visual materials
and equipment, periodicals, and services that
will enhance individual development in Christ
through aids to preaching, teaching, study,
devotions, and evangelism; (2) to encourage
all members of the congregation in Biblical
studies by providing challenging, accurate,
and spiritually conceived commentaries and interpretive
works to assist those studies; (3) to promote
understanding of Christian and Biblical doctrines
with respect to their historical heritage and
to current trends and interpretations; (4) to
encourage wholesome use of leisure time, particularly
beginning with the young; and (5) to support
the various curricula in the Church’s educational
program by anticipating needs and supplying
materials to satisfy them.
To fulfill the goal of positively contributing
to the spiritual and intellectual growth of
the membership, the Library staff engages
in the following activities: SELECTS materials
through purchases and from among gifts for
all age levels; ORGANIZES materials by cataloging
and classification so that they may be easily
located by users; PROVIDES printed books,
pamphlets, periodicals, audiocassettes, filmstrips,
videocassettes, slides, CD-ROMs, and basic
electronic and audiovisual equipment; CIRCULATES
to church members all non-reference items
for home, program, and classroom use; MAINTAINS
materials and equipment in a usable state;
PROMOTES the use of materials through window
displays, brochures, reading programs, story
times, and church publications; and seeks
to EDUCATE library users in the value of reading,
studying, research, and use of library holdings.
Future goals of the Library as envisioned
by committee members are to: (1) convert the
remaining library holdings records into machine-readable
form so that the “card catalog” may be replaced
with an “online catalog” to offer more efficient
and thorough keyword searching of the collections;
(2) arrive at a stable-sized collection for
all ages, balanced between book, media, and
electronic resources; (3) continually evaluate
the collection in light of current needs of
the congregation, weeding outdated and redundant
material to make room for new additions; (4)
refine the cataloging and classification to
make use of the collection easier; and (5)
find new ways to promote use of the accumulated
resources, to encourage reading and the study
of spiritually uplifting material, and to
involve more members of the congregation in
these efforts.
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