Libraries Alive - National Church Library Association

The Spirit of God
may emerge
from a book
to take wings
in the minds,
the hearts
and the hands
of its readers.
~Erwin John
Founder of NCLA
He wrote the book on church libraries
(continued from page 5)
association.” He once wrote: “The Spirit
of God may emerge from a book to take
wings in the minds, the hearts and the
hands of its readers.”
John’s longtime friend and golfing buddy
Rod Olson of Golden Valley described
John as “an inquisitive person who was a
delight to know.’’
“Erwin was a continual learner. That
is what made him such an interesting
No cataloging police allowed
(continued from page 2)
non-automated libraries to easily
automate later.
“What if I put the wrong Dewey number
on a book?” Fortunately there are
no Cataloging Police, and there are
resources available to help librarians
classify and catalog materials. Many
books contain Cataloging in Publication
CIP), located on the back of the title
page. CIP is cataloging done by the
Library of Congress. WorldCat is a
global online network of library content.
Search on a title in WorldCat and the
results will show cataloging used by
other libraries (http://www.oclc.org/
worldcat/default.htm).
The NCLA website has links to many
other online cataloging helps on its
Librarian Web Resources page
(http://www.churchlibraries.org/links.
htm). NCLA’s A Handbook for Church
Librarians provides helpful instruction
and indexes of Dewey Classification
numbers and cross-referenced Subject
Headings commonly used in church
library collections.
person to be around,’’ Olson said.
A memorial service for Erwin John is
scheduled for 11:30 a.m. April 20 at
Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, 50th &
Knox, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Memorial gifts in memory of Erwin John
may be sent to the National Church Library
Association, 275 South Third St., Suite 204,
Stillwater MN 55082.
Consistency and communication make
everyone’s job easier. Collect policies
and procedures in a “Local Cataloging
Decisions” manual. In it, list the library’s
mission, goals and objectives. Make notes
on resources you are using and decisions
you are making in regard to naming and
identifying collections, designating fiction
and biography, applying ownership
markings and any other library decisions
you make for your library. This
information will be helpful to you and
anyone working with you now, and
will be a valuable guide for future
library workers.
What a wonderful time for church
libraries today! No longer constrained by
physical space, church libraries can offer
patrons unlimited available resources.
Your church library catalog is important
because it gives the members of your
congregation a wonderful tool to find
the material that has been collected for
their use.
Sandy Sharps has over 40 years of education
and library experience. She is currently
librarian at Rejoice Lutheran Church in Frisco,
Texas, and serves on the NCLA Board.
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