A Teaching Library for a Teaching and Learning Community

St. Anselm's mission is to be a teaching and learning community in higher education. The La Verne Goman Library is a precious resource for that mission. It has become a reality through the generosity of a great many people, and through the work of many members of the St. Anselm community. The library exemplifies our belief that knowledge is essential to living a responsible Christian life, a belief that this community shares with our namesake, St. Anselm himself.

What the Library Contains

The La Verne Goman Library is one of the most extensive libraries held by an Episcopal institution in the Diocese of Oregon. Its principle focus is the theological disciplines: Theology, the History of the Christian Church, Anglican Studies, New and Old Testament Studies, and Comparative Religions. An outstanding acquisition is the collection of different editions of The Book of Common Prayer, which illustrates every stage of the prayer book's evolution, from 1662 to the present (except for the first proposed American Book, which was never used).

 

Resources on the ordination of women include books, dissertations, periodical articles, news clippings, and occasional papers. There is a collection of article from the last 30 years of Biblical Archeological Review, and a 30-year run of the Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Twentieth century Anglican theologians are well represented: William Temple, Charles Gore, Michael Ramsey, John Macquarrie, C. E. Rave, and many others. More than 700 volumes deal with the scriptures. While the Oregon State University Valley Library has a more extensive collection in the general field of theology, the La Verne Goman Library is superior in Anglican Studies and Liturgy.

 

These specialized collections are a valuable resource for students, candidates for diaconal ordination, participants in Education for Ministry Programs, and anyone seeking resources for theological study. Philosophy, ethics, the sociology of religion, and the relationship between science and religion are also well represented. However, the collection is almost as rich in literature as it is in theology. An impressive collection of mysteries provides a change of pace when the abstraction of theology lie heavy on the mind and heart.

 

 

"We live for books. A sweet mission in this world dominated by disorder and decay"

 

-- Umberto Eco