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2012-02-01 issue:

Libraries get a second wind

Church libraries reach out to Amish neighbors, students and bus drivers.

by Anna Groff

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In the era of tablets, online books and Wikipedia, where does this leave church libraries? Dusty? Forgotten? Neglected?

Several Mennonite churches have overcome challenges facing traditional libraries by finding inventive ways to offer relevant library services to their church members and beyond.

Shirley Kauffman (left) helps patrons in the Clinton Frame Mennonite Church library in Goshen, Ind. Photo provided.

Clinton Frame Mennonite Church in rural Goshen, Ind., uses their library as an outreach to members of the community, many of whom are Amish.

In 1999, the congregation moved into a new church building. At the time, the library committee felt that members underutilized the library and its resources.

“We had many books that were never being checked out,” says Shirley Kauffman, librarian, on Jan. 11. Nancy Mast was the librarian at the time of the move and retired in October 2010.

The committee suggested that the library serve as an outreach ministry by sharing the resources with those who live near the church. Now about 30 Amish families use the library.

“They talked to one of our Amish neighbors and ask if they would be interested in checking out books,” Kauffman says. “The feedback was positive and, as Nancy said, the rest is history.”

Kauffman said the library committee selects books with “positive Christmas messages,” along with books by popular authors. Many of the Amish boys like the Hardy Boys books. The Amish girls like books by Wanda Brunstetter and Dave and Neta Jackson, as well as Focus on the Family books. Adults check out books by Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, Beverly Lewis and Kim Vogel Sawyer.

“It has been a great opportunity to learn to know who our neighbors are and to establish friendships,” Kauffman says.

Reaching out: The church library of Mennonite Church of Normal (Ill.) also reaches out to individuals beyond church members in their urban setting.

“Our Christian fiction section is frequented as much by the bus drivers for the Head Start classroom hosted at [the church] as it is by members,” says Matthew Hickman, associate pastor of youth and family life.

Hazel Yoder reads in the library to students from the Head Start class hosted in the Mennonite Church of Normal (Ill.) building. Photo by Sue Schrag.

Hickman says they stock a native plant gardening reference shelf with hard-to-find or out-of-print books. The church plans to host three of the monthly meetings of the local native plant society this year in our building and will highlight the library.

“I mention it frequently to gardening clubs, gardeners I meet and to university students,” says Hickman.

The library also offers a large collection of Anabaptist-Mennonite writings.

“These are utilized on occasion by students from the local Christian seminary who are intrigued by or formally learning about Anabaptists,” Hickman says. “You won’t find Pilgram Marpeck or John Howard Yoder in most libraries, but you will here.”

On the other end of the spectrum, First Mennonite in Lincoln, Neb., now offers their library’s card catalog online.

LibraryThing: Katherine Haake of First Mennonite helped to implement an online book cataloging service called “LibraryThing.” Members can browse this virtual library from any computer with an Internet connection.

“Our small group even accessed it last year to help decide what to study—from the comfort of a member’s living room,” says Haake.

When Haake started her term as church librarian, she began searching for a low-cost electronic library inventory program. She asked around and found that Anita and David Breckbill, First Mennonite members, use LibraryThing for their own personal book collection.

“It has come in handy for purchasing and donation decisions,” Haake says. “No money is wasted through inadvertent duplication.”

For example, one member used LibraryThing when going through his personal library. He saw which books the library already had in its collection and which ones it might need. LibraryThing is free for the first 200 books and $25 for more storage.