Religion (200)

General Comments

This collection provides materials concerning the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of individuals and groups with respect to the ultimate nature of existence and relationships within the context of revelations, deity, and worship. The collection's emphasis is on sources relating to the Bible and mythology. Overall a small collection, but circulating nonfiction collection sources provide excellent support.

Development Plan

Other areas of Christianity are generally of greater specificity than community interest warrants; in these subjects, briefer overview sources provide a small but solid grounding in Christianity.

• R 200 Religion. Not developed.
• R 210 Natural religion. (i.e., religious beliefs and attitudes attained through observation and interpretation of evidence in nature, through speculation, through reasoning, but not through revelation). Minimally developed.
• R 220 Bible. A small mature collection of general Bible reference sources (dictionary, concordance, analytical material, a few different editions of the Bible, atlas) is maintained.
• R 230 Christian theology. Minimally developed.
• R 240 Christian moral and devotional theology. Minimally developed.
• R 250 Local Christian church and Christian religious orders. Minimally developed.
• R 260 Christian social and ecclesiastical theology. Minimally developed.
• R 270 Historical, geographic, persons treatment of organized Christian church (Church history). Although minimally developed, an emphasis on American Christianity sources is maintained.
• R 280 Denominations and sects of the Christian church. Minimally developed.
• R 290 Comparative religion and religions other than Christianity. A collection of overviews of world religions, world mythology (with Greek and Roman emphasis), and sacred texts of major world religions is maintained. The collection of sacred texts of major world religions requires future development. Other Eastern religion sources are minimally developed.

Influencing Factors

Purchases and buying patterns are determined in large part by:

• electronic/Internet sources availability.
• new works.
• budget constraints.
• present and potential relevance to the community.
• shelf space.

Retention/Weeding

• A small hymnal collection is retained.