Library Resources and Collections

The circulating collection (books which can be checked out) is located in open stacks throughout the second floor and basement of the library. Circulating materials include books, D.Min. project papers, and audio-visual materials.

D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) project papers have been collected by the library since 1970.

• Papers written prior to 2011 are available in print only.
• Papers from 2011-2012 are available in print and electronically.
• Papers from 2013 onward are only available electronically.

For more information about searching for and accessing D.Min. project papers (both print and digital versions), visit the D.Min. Project Papers Resource Guide.

The reference collection is a self-service collection that includes works such as commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, and other resources. The majority of the Library's reference collection is located in the reading room on the first floor, but a secondary collection is in the basement annex. Reference materials do not circulate and must be used in the reading room.

Current issues of print periodical and journals are in the reading room; older issues are in the bound periodicals section of the basement. Bound periodicals with titles beginning with "Methodist" are in the basement annex. These resources do not circulate.

For a list of journals (both electronic and in print) in the library collection, please visit our Journals Resource Guide.

Special collections consist of books and other items with historic, intrinsic, or research value. Special collections in Wesley Theological Seminary library include:

Rare Book Collection

The rare books collection consists of rare Bibles, hymnals, and publications of certain historical figures such as John Wesley. The collection is closed to the public and use of materials in the collection is restricted. Researchers wanting access to the collection should speak with the Library Director or Public Services Librarian.

John D. Godsey Collection

The Godsey collection consists of books and documents from the personal library of the late John D. Godsey, Professor Emeritus, Systematic Theology. The focus of the collection is material regarding the German church struggle, 19th- and 20th-Century German theology, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The collection is closed to the public and use of materials in the collection is restricted. Researchers wanting access to the collection should speak with the Library Director or Public Services Librarian.

Faculty Authors Collection

The library maintains a collection of books published by current and former faculty members to highlight the research being done by faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary. These materials are in open stacks in the reading room but they do not circulate.

Methodist History Collection

The library maintains a collection of many United Methodist annual conference journals as well as journals of predecessor bodies. These and other historic Methodist materials are in the Methodist History Room and are available for use upon request during most daytime library hours. Conference journals do not circulate; photocopying of older journals may be restricted.

Collection development is the ongoing intentional cultivation and curation of a library’s resources aligned with the library’s institutional mission. A library’s collection development plan is the articulation of those factors which guide the lifecycle of library's resources and help grow and shape a library’s collections.

Read the library's Collection Development Plan, updated January 2020.