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 particular 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 collection. 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. Again, during times of high use by Columbia students, researcher 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 of time.

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 at a price of $.10 per page/side.

Researchers may inquire about obtaining a library card to borrow library resources. There are two categories of library patrons who may borrow library resources. Circulation policies apply to both categories of users.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult while in the building, including in the Griffith Children’s Library.

Current CTS students, faculty, and staff:

It is our pleasure to provide library services to you in this new academic year! As we make the transition to a fully in-person environment, where students will once again be responsible for their own copying, scanning, and printing, we will be happy to help you get acquainted/re-acquainted with library computers and copy machines. The library is open to CTS students, faculty, staff, alumni, and researchers.

Library Hours (while classes are in session)

• Sunday 3pm – 7pm
• 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 already have an access card, please schedule an appointment with Bob Craigmile. Front-porch pickup for books remains an option for those who are unable to come inside the building.

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

The library’s Moodle page has videos and guides that will assist you with course reserves, copying and scanning, searching for books and articles, using eBooks, accessing Interlibrary Loan, and so much more!

Additional information for students in the fully online ThM and MA(TS) programs:

Requesting Scans or Sections of Books Library staff are available to scan and email pages from books that you need for classes and research. When submitting scan requests, we ask that you provide as much information as possible about your requests (course name, book title, page numbers/chapter titles). We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible, within a 24 to 48-hour time frame.

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.

Requesting Books If you are in the United States, we will mail books to you. Please send a list of 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).

Online Materials and Tools
The CTS Library has an extensive collection of online resources.
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 found in Moodle to help you start your research process.

Contact Us
Please contact us if you have any additional concerns or questions about library policies. If you have questions that are 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!

• Access is limited to Columbia users. All users must make an appointment to receive their Columbia Library/Building Access card. To make an appointment, please click here to make an appointment.  Appointments can be made between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• For the 2022-2023 academic year, all other users must show a picture ID to enter the building. Picture IDs can include a current CTS Student ID Card or other identification documents such as a driver’s license or passport.  Please call the Circulation Desk from the library front porch to gain entry to the building.
• Any patron deemed to be creating a health risk to others will be asked to leave the building.

Access for Persons Without Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

All users must show a picture ID.  Picture IDs can include a current CTS Student ID Card or other identification documents such as a driver’s license or passport.  Please call the Circulation Desk from the library front porch to gain entry to the building.

Access for Persons with Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

All users must make an appointment to receive their Columbia Library/Building Access card.  To make an appointment, please click here. Appointments can be made between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If you have a Columbia Library/Building Access card, you may enter the building during the library’s open hours.

Lost Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

• Lost Columbia Library/Building Access cards need to be reported immediately to ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu. A lost Columbia Library/Building Access card exposes users to possible security issues.
• The replacement cost for a lost Columbia Library/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 Columbia Library/Building Access card, please make an appointment as outlined above.
• During the time that a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card is being replaced, users will follow the policy for Access for those without a Columbia Library/Building Access card.
• The replacement cost for a second lost Columbia Library/Building Access card is $100. To replace a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card, please make an appointment as outlined above.
• Columbia Library/Building Access cards can ONLY be replaced twice. If a Columbia Library/Building Access card is lost a second time, the user will have to access the building only through appointments.

Access to C. Benton Kline Jr., Special Collections and Archives

Reference services and on-demand digitization for the C. Benton Kline, Jr. Special Collections and Archives are currently available. If digitization is not sufficient for research needs, faculty, students, staff, and alumni can make reservations to view materials in the Special Collections Reading Room, on Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, 9am-4pm. For appointments and inquiries, please contact the archivist by phone at 404-687-4628 or by email at archives@ctsnet.edu.

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

Current students, faculty, and staff

Columbia Theological Seminary students, faculty, staff, 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.

Community Patrons

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. 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.

Circulating books for all basic degree students and Community patrons are due four weeks after the date of check-out. If the due date falls on a day the Library is closed the next open date is used. At check-out the date due slip in the back of the book is stamped with the appropriate due date. Circulating books may be renewed up to two times, unless single-copy items have been requested by another user. Phone renewals are acceptable during the Library’s open hours. 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 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 ILU privileges have been reported to the JBCL.

*Charges over $10.00 may be paid via credit card between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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.