The John Bulow Campbell Library

The John Bulow Campbell Library provides services designed to support and enhance teaching, learning, and research, including reference, circulation, reserves, interlibrary loan, and interlibrary use.

The mission of the John Bulow Campbell Library is to serve as a learning resource center for Columbia Theological Seminary in ways consistent with the Seminary’s mission statement. The library, therefore, operates in the context of “an educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a community of theological inquiry and formation for ministry in the service of the Church of Jesus Christ.” Through its policies and procedures, the library is particularly responsive to the phrases from the Seminary’s mission which call the Seminary “to provide theological resources for the denomination, for the ecumenical church, and for persons with a variety of theological concerns,” and “to be faithful to the gospel, and to become a living expression of the Body of Christ in the world.”
The mission of JBC Library is to:

• enable all library users to locate and utilize any needed source of information
• collect and provide information relevant to the curriculum, as well as to the traditions of the Church and the Seminary
• serve as a gateway to both in-house and external sources and forms of information
• promote intellectual discovery for the Seminary community. This mission is accomplished through the different services provided by the library as a whole and by various members of the library staff

Researchers are welcome to use the study spaces, computers, and collections. However, during times of very high use by Columbia students, researcher services and access may be limited.

Study rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis for daily use. Again, during times of high use by Columbia students, researchers’ access to study rooms may be limited.

The computers in the library are for use by Columbia Theological Seminary students, faculty, staff, alumni, researchers, and special guests of the Seminary. Library researchers may use computers for library applications but for limited periods.

Printing, scanning, and photocopying are available in the library. Scanning is free. Printing and photocopying are free for current students, faculty, and staff. Alumni and researchers may print and photocopy for $.10 per page/side.

Researchers may inquire about obtaining a library card to borrow library resources. See below for more information about patron categories and circulation policies.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult in the building, including an adult present with them in the Griffith Children’s Library.

Library Access and Services 2025

The library is open to CTS students, faculty, staff, alumni, and researchers.

Library Hours (while classes are in session)
Saturday  CLOSED
Sunday 3:00pm –7:00pm
Monday through Thursday 8:30am – 7:00pm
Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm

The building is accessible via a building access card. If you do not have an access card, please schedule an appointment with Bob Craigmile.

Lost building access cards must be reported immediately to ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu. A lost building access card exposes users to possible security issues.

The replacement cost for a lost building access card is $10. The replacement card fine will be placed on your library account and can be paid for through your library account. To replace a lost Library/Building Access card, please schedule an appointment with Bob Craigmile.
The replacement cost for a second lost building access card is $100. Building access cards can ONLY be replaced twice. If a Library/Building Access card is lost a second time, the user must access the building only through appointments.

Requesting Scans or Sections of Books
Students who are residential or live in Greater Atlanta* are responsible for all their own copying, scanning, and printing needs. Library staff are happy to help you get acquainted with or reacquainted with the library computers and copy/scan machines.

Students in online degrees (ThM) may request scans from books needed for classes and research. Email ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu with a detailed description of your requested scans (course name, book title, page numbers/chapter titles), and our staff will do their best to get back to you within a 48-hour timeframe. Please note that the library can only provide limited scans of required textbooks while students are procuring their own personal copies.

Please remember that the copyright law of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material, and library staff must abide by this law. The library staff reserves the right to refuse a copying request if, in their judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of copyright law.

Faculty may submit scan and copy requests via the Faculty Administrative Support JotForm found on Employee eCampus. Please provide as much information as possible regarding your requests.

Requesting Books
If you are a degree-seeking student or have graduated from a CTS degree program and you live outside of Greater Atlanta* but within in the United States, we can mail requested books to you via USPS. Please send a list of requested items and your mailing address to ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu.

Returning Items
Physical items may be returned by mail (CTS Library, P.O. Box 520, Decatur, GA 30031). Patrons are responsible for return postage costs, but they may select the most cost-effective shipping option.

Online Materials and Tools
The CTS Library has an extensive collection of online resources available to current students, faculty, and staff from any location and to any patron using the library’s public computers. Alumni patrons receive access to a specially tailored set of digital resources that they can access remotely.

Library Catalog: After executing a search, use the filters on the left-hand side of the search results screen to limit results to ebooks or electronic resources.

eResources: The content of this collection is available fully online. It contains eBooks, reference books, and full-text journals.

GALILEO: GALILEO is an interdisciplinary database with content ranging from theology to science, education, history, etc. Here you will find research starters, articles, eBooks, and many other useful digital items.

Articles: Atla is the main repository for journals and articles published on topics related to theology and religion.
Research Guides: Use the CTS Quick Tips and Guides, One-Minute Instruction Videos, and Research Tutorials in Moodle to help you start your research process.

Contact Us
Library staff are also available to you via:
• Phone: 404.687.4610
• Email: ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu
• Appointments: In-person or on Zoom

Please get in touch with us if you have any additional concerns or questions about library policies. If you have questions not answered here or have new ideas for how we can serve you, email us at ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu. Remember, we are here for you!

There are two categories of library users who may use the John Bulow Campbell Library.

Current students and faculty
Columbia Theological Seminary students and faculty are automatically enrolled as library patrons. Cross-registered students are considered students for the semester that they are enrolled at Columbia Seminary. These library users are offered full use of the library materials and services but are asked to use discretion in the number of items checked out in any given subject.

Students who are enrolled in a degree but are not currently enrolled in courses (due to either a pre-planned absence or a change in circumstances) will have their physical library access suspended until such time as they are re-enrolled in courses.

Community Patrons
Members of the community who wish to become JBCL patrons and match one of the sets of criteria below may request to apply for Community Patron status by emailing ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu. Community Patron Applications for Library Privileges will be reviewed by the library director. The applicant will be notified by email if the application is approved. There is no annual user fee, there is a six-item check-out limit, and Community patrons may not use interlibrary loan. Interest and qualification must be verified every year to maintain an active Community Patron account. A borrower’s library privileges may be terminated at the discretion of the Library Director for violation of policies, disruptive behavior, or any activity deemed detrimental to the library or our primary users.

Community Patrons are:

• CTS alumni
• Immediate family members of current students, faculty, and staff
• Ministerial members of the PCUSA
• Members of PCUSA congregations in the Tri-Presbyteries (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee and Northeast Georgia Presbyteries)
• Ministers and chaplains serving congregations or institutions in the greater Atlanta area* except those enrolled in a non-ATA or non-ARCHE academic degree program
• Residents of the city of Decatur who are using the collection for research. (30030 zip code only).
• Atlanta Theological Association (ATA) and Atlanta Regional Consortium Higher Education (ARCHE) students, faculty, and staff with a valid interlibrary use card and institutional identification

*Greater Atlanta is defined as the 10 counties in the Atlanta Regional Commission: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale.

Summary of Circulation Privileges and Policies by Patron Type

Renewals
Circulating books may be renewed up to two times unless single-copy items have been requested by another user. Patrons can renew their books online via their library account, via email to ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu, and (during the Library’s open hours) over the phone (404-687-4610). For lost books, patrons are charged $75.00, plus a $25.00 processing fee.

DVDs may be checked-out for 7 days and may not be renewed. The fee for a lost item is $75.00, plus a $25.00 processing fee.
Periodicals, Reference items, and Special Collections materials may not be checked out of the library building.

Borrowing Privileges
Refer to the table above for item limits according to patron category.
Borrowing privileges may be suspended when one of the following occurs: 1) more than $10.00 is owed to the library in fines or fees; 2) items checked out to the patron are overdue; 3) the number of items checked out has exceeded the person’s limit; and 4) abuse of Interlibrary Use (ILU) privileges has been reported to the JBCL.

We enjoy visits from students registered at ARCHE schools. If you are a student at an ARCHE school, please obtain an Interlibrary Use (ILU) card at your home school’s library. ILU cards are required to check out books from the CTS Library. If you would like to visit and do research but not check out books, you may either show your ILU card or have your home library staff send us an email letting us know the day and approximate time of your planned visit.