3/6/10
THE LIBRARY IN PENTECOSTALISM: PART 1
THE LIBRARY IN PENTECOSTALISM: TWO OKLAHOMA INSTITUTIONS, PART 1. MARILYN A. HUDSON, MLIS.
(2009)
(2009)
The Christian School Movement was instrumental in providing a model and impetus for the development of library collections in private educational institutions by the late nineteenth and early 
twentieth centuries. In broad strokes the usual progress of academic libraries, including those in the Bible School movement, progressed through five basic phases: The Reference Shelf, The Doctrine Center, The Warehouse, The Resource Center, and the Information Center.
twentieth centuries. In broad strokes the usual progress of academic libraries, including those in the Bible School movement, progressed through five basic phases: The Reference Shelf, The Doctrine Center, The Warehouse, The Resource Center, and the Information Center. In the Reference Shelf phase, the focus is on the study of the Bible as primary text and a life in pastoral, missionary, or other Christian service work. In this stage of development the institution saw themselves largely as a people of the book – one book, the Bible. Classes were often limited to the Bible text and lecture notes. The required library resources were limited to dictionaries, atlases, histories, commentaries, or language studies supporting that more narrow focus. The “library” might be a shelf in a common room, an office, or the hallway of a dorm. The chief goal of this stage was praxis oriented. Spiritual workers were crucially needed, so people must be equipped, and sent out in mission to reach the world. This was an acquisition of a minimum set of skills for one specific purpose and seldom included a broad educational experience. Most Pentecostals viewed education as too close to the ‘cold’ formalized churches out of which many early Pentecostals had come. Few Pentecostal groups, notes author Grant Wacker, even required any education for recognition as a minister until after the first twenty years.
In the next phase, Doctrine Center, the development of the library often focused on limiting materials to a particular doctrinal viewpoint, publishing house, or set of authors for the reinforcement of the guiding philosophy or theology of the school as ministry vocational centers. In this stage the school, and Its library, establishes a place in its world. Similar institutions are looked at, comparisons made, and need for higher quality education recognized to better fulfill its mission.
Many of the schools were seeking after religious, state, or national accreditation to expand or enhance their influence in the Warehouse Phase. Collection develop was ‘by the pound’ with book drives, donation emphasis, and other open door gifting policies. During this time period, for example, the North Central Accreditation process focused more on the quantity of materials in a library as opposed to the quality of the collection and this allowed growth by book counts to guide the development of some libraries. In this phase, general education courses became more important as schools broadened to include junior college offerings. The library has assumed the form of a library, sometimes with professionally trained staff, policies, and services. In this phase, non-librarians made many of the administrative decisions, with faculty or committees sometimes exercising more control as to collection development or budget than the “librarian" Lingering from the Doctrinal phase is often an emphasis on control of the information, views or ideas presented.
Expanding programs and new technologies converged to create new mediums of learning and information storage in the technology boom of the 1960’s. Nationally, this phase occurred as science-fiction became fact with the increased use of books on tape, televised instruction, films, overhead projectors, tape recorders, microfilm readers, and main frame computers such as the IBM 357 and the IBM 1401. This heady introduction of technology, where some even envisioned instruction without classrooms, created the “Resource”, “Media” or “Learning Center” phase.
Books were, it was believed ,old fashioned, outmoded, and soon to be obsolete in the bright Utopia of a technologically rich future. A “library” was musty, old books in dark gothic library ivory towers of knowledge and its tradition as a ‘book-based’ warehouse had no place in the modern age. The future was student-directed, automated, and on demand and this trend would emerge again with the rise of personal computers and forecasts of a book and paperless future. This phase did produce a false dichotomy based on format and threatened to curtail the influence of the library as a vital part of the learning environment.
Technology advanced at an accelerated pace, challenging everyone to keep up with changes in methods, philosophies, concepts, practices, and functions. The computer moved from the large storeroom where it had shuffled raw statistics and records onto the desktop. The library reasserted itself as an “information center” incorporating a variety of new and emerging formats and as much an idea as a physical place. The library was an integral part of a serious academic institution and one crucial to the primary goal of an education program. The library was a frontrunner in the access, delivery, use, and preservation of information in a world where paradigms shifted daily and innovation left educators breathless.
In this phase libraries identified the need for ‘information literacy’ to replace the old standby of ‘bibliographic instruction’. It was no longer sufficient to show students where the ‘tools’ of information were but to also instruct them in the effective and ethical use of the data once it was found. The ongoing challenges of microcomputers, instant messengers, digitization, and a myriad of emerging technologies insure the role of information managers to broker access, retrieval, organization and use of information in the future while holding to the timeless values of the written word and personal interaction.
THE LIBRARY IN PENTECOSTALISM: PART 2
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The Library in Pentecostalism: Two Oklahoma Institutions. By Marilyn A. Hudson, M.L.I.S. (2009)
[in process]
The British journalist, Holbrook Jackson, once wrote, “Your library is your portrait” and those words are indeed true. The place of the library in education is a strong barometer of the character and ability of a group to not merely exist but thrive.
As early as 1906, the Pentecostal movement had educational efforts in Oklahoma. In Beulah, Beckham County, Emmanuel Bible College was established as holiness school but became Pentecostal after 1907 and until the school closed in 1910. The annual conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church met at the Delmar Gardens in Oklahoma in 1913 and from that, the Stratford Pentecostal Holiness School was established. The school in southern Oklahoma opened in 1914 but after a severe storm in 1915, the school closed soon due to a storm that destroyed the building. A school in Wagoner, near Seminole soon followed but also closed. In 1924, in Checotah Kings College opened, soon moved to Kingfisher, and closed in 1935 . Although, most of the institutions were elementary and high school in scope, they provide the foundation upon which later institutions would build.
Southwestern Pentecostal Holiness College/ Southwestern Christian University
Despite Oklahoma being one of the strongest centers of the Pentecostal doctrine west of the Mississippi, higher education for ministry meant several years in Georgia where the only denominational school existed. Several young Pentecostal men, including Oral Roberts, R.O.Corvin, C.H. Williams, Sam Greene, C.E. Neukirchner, Paul Finchum, L.E. Turpin, and many others, had a dream of a school in Oklahoma. These men had strong ties to Oklahoma and shared an entrepreneurial streak. They were representative of a new and younger brand of leadership emerging in the movement and in society.
The original Southwestern Pentecostal Holiness College opened in 1946 in Oklahoma City with a library of some eight hundred books, mostly from the private collection of the president.
For a time the books were located in a corner of the remodeled barn known affectionately as ‘McGrew Hall.” The first librarian was also the campus counselor, Noami Watts, but Marie Ellis (Mrs. Clayton Ellis) soon joined her. Mrs. Ellis would serve the campus longer than anyone else associated with the library.
As the college experienced rapid growth in the early 1950’s, the meager collection and space were sorely taxed. In 1953, Oral Roberts, evangelist, Southwestern College Board Member, occasional faculty, and one of the co-founders of the institution, arranged the donation of $70,000 for construction of a combined library and administration building.
Growth continued as the school pushed toward its original mandated target of becoming a junior college to service the denomination. Local community clubs hosted book drives and the collection grew in volumes if not in content. In 1966, following a donation of $50,000 from Mrs. Zula Light of Rolla, Kansas, the doors of the new Light Library opened. The New facility the Irwin Learning Resources Center added 15,000 square feet to create a multi-media resource center (with studio, private learning rooms, and distant learning equipment) and the much expanded library.
As early as 1906, the Pentecostal movement had educational efforts in Oklahoma. In Beulah, Beckham County, Emmanuel Bible College was established as holiness school but became Pentecostal after 1907 and until the school closed in 1910. The annual conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church met at the Delmar Gardens in Oklahoma in 1913 and from that, the Stratford Pentecostal Holiness School was established. The school in southern Oklahoma opened in 1914 but after a severe storm in 1915, the school closed soon due to a storm that destroyed the building. A school in Wagoner, near Seminole soon followed but also closed. In 1924, in Checotah Kings College opened, soon moved to Kingfisher, and closed in 1935 . Although, most of the institutions were elementary and high school in scope, they provide the foundation upon which later institutions would build.
Southwestern Pentecostal Holiness College/ Southwestern Christian University
Despite Oklahoma being one of the strongest centers of the Pentecostal doctrine west of the Mississippi, higher education for ministry meant several years in Georgia where the only denominational school existed. Several young Pentecostal men, including Oral Roberts, R.O.Corvin, C.H. Williams, Sam Greene, C.E. Neukirchner, Paul Finchum, L.E. Turpin, and many others, had a dream of a school in Oklahoma. These men had strong ties to Oklahoma and shared an entrepreneurial streak. They were representative of a new and younger brand of leadership emerging in the movement and in society.
The original Southwestern Pentecostal Holiness College opened in 1946 in Oklahoma City with a library of some eight hundred books, mostly from the private collection of the president.
For a time the books were located in a corner of the remodeled barn known affectionately as ‘McGrew Hall.” The first librarian was also the campus counselor, Noami Watts, but Marie Ellis (Mrs. Clayton Ellis) soon joined her. Mrs. Ellis would serve the campus longer than anyone else associated with the library.
As the college experienced rapid growth in the early 1950’s, the meager collection and space were sorely taxed. In 1953, Oral Roberts, evangelist, Southwestern College Board Member, occasional faculty, and one of the co-founders of the institution, arranged the donation of $70,000 for construction of a combined library and administration building.
Growth continued as the school pushed toward its original mandated target of becoming a junior college to service the denomination. Local community clubs hosted book drives and the collection grew in volumes if not in content. In 1966, following a donation of $50,000 from Mrs. Zula Light of Rolla, Kansas, the doors of the new Light Library opened. The New facility the Irwin Learning Resources Center added 15,000 square feet to create a multi-media resource center (with studio, private learning rooms, and distant learning equipment) and the much expanded library.
Oral Roberts University
The Library of ORU opened September 1965 with some 60,000 volumes and plans to add as many as 500,000. In addition, the facility would be home to a unique special collection devoted to works from around the world on the Holy Spirit. Although largely known at the time as an evangelist with his own large ministry, Oral Roberts was a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church until he joined the Methodist Church in 1968. In 1966, the Pentecostal Holiness Church even named the ORU Graduate School of Theology as the official Pentecostal Holiness seminary, however, when Roberts left the denomination this was revoked.
At the time of its opening and first few years, the school and its library were firmly in a Pentecostal perspective. ORU was an example of planned development with results that were truly a showcase of that day and today. Implementing many innovations of the time, in both library services and education, it was a noteworthy development.
The library, reflecting a new view, was imbedded in a larger learning resources center. That concept included specialized areas for using the latest technology to assist learning. As was common at the time resources, were viewed and arranged by their format. As a result, a library held only books and could therefore not hold the new technologies. A new term was needed, one that would better reflect the new, space-age, modern, and progressive developments. When ORU opened it touted an emphasis on the new “Programmed Learning” approach and included on demand film, audio, electronic tutoring. Discussion or study groups, in addition to the traditional book based library resources, made the library a mode. This would change in the subsequent information revolution as the library redefined itself but the ill-defined ‘learning resources’ concept would linger on.
They are the books, the arts, the academes,
That show, contain and nourish all the world.
- William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost
Sources:
Holbrook, Jackson, http://thinkexist.com/quotation/your_library_is_your_portrait/208916.html,
Hudson, et all. One Nightclub and a Mule Barn: The First Sixty Years of Southwestern Christian University. Tate, 2005.
Hudson, et al. One Nightclub and A Mule Barn: The First Sixty Years of Southwestern Christian University. Tate, 2005.
Yearbooks, Southwestern College and Oklahoma City Southwestern College, SCU Archives, 1946 to 1976.
“School Launches $1 Million Program of Advancement.” The Oklahoman (Jan. 8, 1963)12.
“College Gets $50,000 Gift.” The Oklahoman (March 24, 1966):29; “City College to Dedicate New Library.” The Oklahoman (Nov. 17, 1966):52. Oral Roberts University Outreach (2:2, Spring 1965): 8.
The Library of ORU opened September 1965 with some 60,000 volumes and plans to add as many as 500,000. In addition, the facility would be home to a unique special collection devoted to works from around the world on the Holy Spirit. Although largely known at the time as an evangelist with his own large ministry, Oral Roberts was a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church until he joined the Methodist Church in 1968. In 1966, the Pentecostal Holiness Church even named the ORU Graduate School of Theology as the official Pentecostal Holiness seminary, however, when Roberts left the denomination this was revoked.
At the time of its opening and first few years, the school and its library were firmly in a Pentecostal perspective. ORU was an example of planned development with results that were truly a showcase of that day and today. Implementing many innovations of the time, in both library services and education, it was a noteworthy development.
The library, reflecting a new view, was imbedded in a larger learning resources center. That concept included specialized areas for using the latest technology to assist learning. As was common at the time resources, were viewed and arranged by their format. As a result, a library held only books and could therefore not hold the new technologies. A new term was needed, one that would better reflect the new, space-age, modern, and progressive developments. When ORU opened it touted an emphasis on the new “Programmed Learning” approach and included on demand film, audio, electronic tutoring. Discussion or study groups, in addition to the traditional book based library resources, made the library a mode. This would change in the subsequent information revolution as the library redefined itself but the ill-defined ‘learning resources’ concept would linger on.
They are the books, the arts, the academes,
That show, contain and nourish all the world.
- William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost
Sources:
Holbrook, Jackson, http://thinkexist.com/quotation/your_library_is_your_portrait/208916.html,
Hudson, et all. One Nightclub and a Mule Barn: The First Sixty Years of Southwestern Christian University. Tate, 2005.
Hudson, et al. One Nightclub and A Mule Barn: The First Sixty Years of Southwestern Christian University. Tate, 2005.
Yearbooks, Southwestern College and Oklahoma City Southwestern College, SCU Archives, 1946 to 1976.
“School Launches $1 Million Program of Advancement.” The Oklahoman (Jan. 8, 1963)12.
“College Gets $50,000 Gift.” The Oklahoman (March 24, 1966):29; “City College to Dedicate New Library.” The Oklahoman (Nov. 17, 1966):52. Oral Roberts University Outreach (2:2, Spring 1965): 8.
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