known collections held by smaller organisations. Looking at today’s membership, is that still part of the ethos of ABTAPL? And how has the association developed and moved forward to meet changing priorities?
CLR & HR – ABTAPL has always aimed to raise awareness of theological collec- tions in smaller libraries, and in the 1980s and 1990s achieved this through the pub- lication of two Guides to the Theological Libraries of Great Britain and Ireland2,3
.
In the twentieth century, ABTAPL’s online Directory of Institutional Members4 provides an up to date resource detailing many smaller collections, and how they can be accessed.
ABTAPL maintains a Union List of Periodicals held in member libraries, which supports the ABTAPL inter-library loans scheme, providing low or no cost inter-library loans between member libraries. In recent years, the Union List has prioritised the listing of small member libraries not already part of larger union catalogues such as JISC Hub Discover.
IP – There has obviously been a huge shift towards digital in recent years compared to when the association was formed – what does that mean for ABTAPL and its members?
CLR & HR – ABTAPL members have embraced e-books and e-journals along with the rest of the library world, but small library budgets can constrain their dig- ital provision. Many ABTAPL member libraries support courses that are validated by larger universities, but this does not necessarily mean they have access to university library e-resources. ABTAPL has collaborated with the Common Awards programme, a partnership between the Church of England and Durham University, which is providing access to e-journals and e-books from key publishers to students preparing for Christian ministry through- out the UK5
. ABTAPL has also curated
its own e-book collections to support the professional development of members. A significant disruption for ABTAPL libraries has been the growth of distance learning in theological education, which was accelerated by COVID. This means that, as well as becoming e-learning managers, ABTAPL member librarians are creatively adapting their libraries into welcoming spaces for commuter students. Further disruptions are occurring within environments that form the ecosystem for many ABTAPL member libraries: Chris- tian churches that face declining ministry candidate numbers, and higher education theology and religious studies courses with declining student numbers. ABTAPL stands with its members, recognising the challenges, supporting advocacy, and celebrating new partnerships that enable
February-March 2026 Hannie Riley.
theological and religious libraries to sur- vive and thrive.
IP – Part of the attraction of mem- bership is around community, can you talk to us about how that is achieved in terms of members organisations supporting each other and sharing best practice? Is this particularly important in a world where many institutions are running libraries on limited staff resources or with single librarians?
CLR & HR – ABTAPL is proud to be part of a global community, with active partnerships with Atla (American The- ological Library Association) and BETH (Bibliotheques Europeenes de Theologie), and we contributed to their recent Global Survey6
Library, held at the Aga Khan Library, London in 2025. We also provide a programme of online training for our members, which like our in-person train- ing is usually free or very low cost, and monthly lunchtime online social events – ABChatL.
Perhaps the best way to explain the ABTAPL community is to hear the recent words of one of our members, written on leaving for a new role:
research on theological librarians. Closer to home, we have links with similar library and archive groups, including the Religious Archives Group (RAG) with whom we held a joint training day at St Paul’s Cathedral in November 2024. ABTAPL meets in person twice a year, recognising the importance of face-to- face interaction: once in London in the autumn, and once in a different location each spring. Member feedback leads our topic choice, such as our recent training and networking day on Marketing the
“I will really miss the ABTAPL com- munity and the wonderful conferences, and I would like to thank you all for your support and friendship over the nine years I have been in this post. Your help, encouragement, insights and challenges have been invaluable to me and I have appreciated your friendship and profes- sional comradeship so much.”
IP – You are celebrating your 70th anniversary this year – can you tell us about what you are doing to mark the occasion?
CLR & HR – We are delighted to be publishing an open-access monograph, Theological Libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland: 70 Years of the Association of British Theological and Philosophical Libraries in February 2026. This contains an overview of ABTAPL’s his-
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