I write these words just as I conclude a visit to Cuba. And I am, again, so impressed that each school I visit is urgently in need of good theological resources. While we have always recognized the importance of libraries – my predecessor, Bill Armerding, was a catalyst for library development in Colombia, Jamaica, the Ukraine, Poland and elsewhere – the last few years, beginning with Romania, Haiti and Vietnam have powerfully demonstrated for us just how urgent it is that we attend to the question of library development.

We have therefore secured the expert advise of senior professional librarians, with international experience, to partner more closely with us and with our partner schools to help them do the very best job possible in this difficult task: developing libraries in an internet and digital age that support teaching-learning programs around the world.

Resources are limited – and we are keen to get the best possible benefit from the resources we have. Further, in such places as Vietnam and Cuba, government restrictions present significant obstacles – in Cuba, for example, restricting the entry of books that are viewed as remotely threatening the authority of the government. And yet it may be that the strongest obstacle is that we need to sustain a commitment to good theological scholarship, an essential foundation for good education and effective ministry.

What do we need? Yes, we must help with the development of the collection – the books that the students will be reading as they pursue their studies and that the faculty will use for their research and in support of their teaching. And further, this challenge includes helping schools secure the internet and digital resources that are essential for a good library. But more, a library needs to be housed properly so that it is accessible to its users.

And, perhaps most critical of all, a library needs a qualified librarian who can manage the collection, work with faculty to develop the resources, help students use the library effectively and serve as a key resource in the teaching-learning process of the seminary.

And this means that library development includes investing in the people who will manage these libraries.

For collection development, we are very pleased with the Theological Book Network in Grand Rapids, Michigan, an agency that has a particular commitment and capacity to build library collections.

This will be an on-going theme for us. We are working on numerous fronts to respond to the challenge and the opportunity that is before us.