The library has a collection of 13,420 books, and 2,010 periodicals and journals. This is in addition to the premier Bible research software: Bible Works, version 7 and Power Bible CD, version 8.1. There is also the Theological Journal Library CD, version 5, which consists of thirteen (13) scholarly religious journals with a total of approximately six hundred (600) volumes.
Local and overseas donors contribute to the gradual increase of the holdings of the library. Since September 2011, approximately 2,600 books have been added to the Library through donations and procurement. To add to our physical holdings, the World Missions Department of the Church of God is funding an international library consortium for all the Church of God Bible schools that are outside of the USA. This will give the patrons of our Library access to: (1) The American Theological Library Association (ATLA) online indexes and databases; (2) The JSTOR scholarly online journals archive, which includes over four hundred and one (401) titles, spanning various disciplines.
Ebrary offers a large online collection of over 110,000 scholarly, high-quality books and journal articles from over 500 of the world’s most authoritative authors. The database is equipped with powerful tools to help its user find, use, and manage the information that they need, while giving access to unlimited use of the books and articles in the collection no matter how many others are reading the same materials.
Ebrary is a balanced user friendly database and so provides the librarian: compatibility with a range of discoverability and technology services, free on-demand MARC records, COUNTER-compliant usage statics that show how content is used while protecting end-user privacy, unique ability to upload and integrate a library’s own digital content with Data Sharing, Fast (DASH), and the facility to order directly through Ebrary or through leading book vendors. On the other hand it provides the patron with: clear user permissions for books, intuitive navigation, and streamlined key tasks with the new online Reader, ability to download books to laptop, tablet or phone (iOS and Android) for offline reading, personal bookshelves that automatically store links to highlights, notes, and more, providing an archive of research. It also provides folders that can be emailed, notes and highlights, multiple options for searching and navigating, automatic citations when text is printed or copied and pasted into Word or any text application, compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technology for patrons with special accessibility needs and catalog search and bookshelf interface available in multiple languages.
Bethel is currently part of a consortium with other member libraries of the College Library Network (COLINET) through which Ebrary is offered; and it is made available to both lecturers and students both in-house and through remote access. This has significantly enhanced the research capacity of the College. Lecturers are encouraged to reflect both required and recommended readings from Ebrary in their course outlines.
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