Why not try using an online dictionary or encyclopedia to find the answer to that quick question!

One of the library ‘Electronic Resources’ that allows you to search full-text books via your computer is the ’Oxford Reference Online’.  This resource enables you to search a range of online dictionaries, companions, encyclopedias etc.  Within the subject area of ‘religion and philosophy’ you can search the following titles:

Dictionary of the Bible

The Oxford Companion to the Bible

The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible

A Dictionary of Buddhism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

The Oxford Dictionary of Islam

A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion

The Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages

The Oxford Companion to Philosophy

The Oxford Dicitionary of Philosophy 

The Oxford Dicitionary of Popes

The Oxford Dicitionary of Saints

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 

Several other new titles have recently been added to the ‘Oxford Reference Online’ database.  Although these titles do not include any that fall strictly into the area of theology, one title that may be of interest is the ‘Oxford Companion to Irish History’, which includes analytical essays on Catholicism and the Reformation.

You can access the ‘Oxford Reference Online’ database both on and off-campus, so next time you have a quick reference question why not give it a try.

Extended Opening Hours for the Learning Resource Centre.

Starting this week and running up until thursday the 20th December, the Learning Resource Centre will be open Monday to Thursday until midnight.  This will allow users to work in the Library, Media Centre and IT rooms. 

Although the library floors will remain open until midnight, anyone wishing to take library items home will need to take their selection to the library counter before 9.45pm, when the issue desk will close down.

A New Feature – ‘Collection of the Month’!

A new addition to the Theology Library Blog is the ‘Collection of the Month’ link on the left-hand side of the screen.  This link enables you to see a selection of books held in the library relating to a specifice topic.  To start the feature off,  it was decided that because November is the month of ‘all saints and all souls’ this months collection is a selection of 12 books about ’saints’. 

To access the collection simply click on the link.  The screen will then allow you to switch between the ‘cover view’  and the ‘list view’.  The cover view simply gives you a photograph of the covers, however click on ‘list view’ and you can read the comments about each book and if you click on the ‘pencil’ icon you will see the library shelf number (Dewey number), alternatively type the titles into the online library catalogue to see if the items are on the shelves.

If you like the idea of having a collection of the month, why not suggest a topic for a forthcoming collection.  Alternatively, if you would like to review any of the titles listed please send them through and if they are suitable I will post them on the site.

Reading lists THL241; THL131; and THL111 now available!

In order to help you find your books for next semester, three extra reading lists have been linked to the library catalogue.  The reading lists in question are:

THL111 – Introduction to Church History; THL131 -Exploring the Old Testament 1; THL241 Themes in systematic theology.

To access the lists simply type in  ‘THL111′ etc. into the library catalogue, or follow the link from the theology subject pages in ‘My library’.

New books may be added to these lists over the next few weeks as the courses are prepared.  Also, other links to reading lists will be made available for the second semester, so watch this space for updates!

                                                                                            

The library catalogue of Lambeth Palace Library is now available on Copac.

The historic collections of library materials held in Lambeth Palace Library can now be searched via Copac – the joint catalogue of National and University Libraries held in the UK and Ireland. 

If you would like to search the catalogue to try and find items for your research I have put a link under the ‘Library Catalogues’ on the left hand side of the screen.

Free Online Access to Sage Journals until 30th November, 2007.

‘Sage’, a large journal publisher, is currently offering a free trial allowing full-text electronic access to its journal titles.  The offer only lasts during November.  To sign up to the trial visit their home page http://online.sagepub.com/ .  Enrolling is quick and easy. 

The theology journal titles offered by sage that we currently don’t hold in the library include:  Irish Theological Quarterly, Journal for the study of the New Testament; Journal for the study of the Old Testament; Journal for the study of the historical Jesus; Theology and sexuality; Journal of pentecostal theology; Journal for the study of pseudepigrapha.

New Journal Title Now Available!

The ‘International Journal of Public Theology’ is now available in full-text and can be accessed electronically via ‘Portia’. 

If you would like to read the latest copy, visit the ‘electronic resources’ section of ‘My Library’.  From the list of resources choose ‘E-journals’ and type in the title of the journal.

If you prefer to view the printed copy, it is currently on order and should hopefully be available in the library within the next few weeks.