Duke Divinity School Library

Website update

Phu Nguyen — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:28:25 +0000

We’ve updated our website! We welcome any feedback so please fill out this survey to help us improve the content and make it as useful as possible.

Library Perks for Alumni

Hannah Rozear — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:50:56 +0000

Divinity School Library

Free access to the ATLA Religion Database? Book checkout privileges in the Divinity School library? Sound good? The Duke University Libraries and the Duke University Alumni Association have worked together to provide access to a set of online resources available to all registered Duke alumni, including the full ATLA Religion Database. Also, the Duke Alumni Card (mailed to you after graduation) allows the cardholder book check out privileges at Perkins System Libraries and the Divinity School Library, as well as a number of other discounts and benefits. Finally, your Duke email will continue to be active for a year past graduation during which time, we encourage you to establish a Duke alumni forwarding address. In addition to the resources listed above, check out the library’s new guide on Open Access Resources in Religious and Theological Studies.

Doctoral Carrel Lottery May 13th

Phu Nguyen — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:43:09 +0000

Divinity ThD students and PhD students in the Department of Religion are welcome to fill out an application for Fall semester (June 1- Christmas break) Divinity Library study carrels. 17 carrels will be available. Details and specifics about the lottery and specific carrel policies may be found on the application. Deadline for submission is 8AM on May 13^th. Print versions of the form are also available at the Divinity Circulation Desk.
The application can be downloaded in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

QR Codes in the Reference Collection

Hannah Rozear — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:32:04 +0000

Did you know that many of the books in the Divinity School library reference collection are also available online? To help you identify which reference works are available online, you will find little signs attached to the reference shelves with a “QR” code.

Find QR codes throughout the Divinity Library Reference collection.

What’s a QR code? A “quick response” code is a barcode that can be read by a camera phone using a QR code reader app. Most smartphones and mobile devices have cameras that can “scan” QR codes. When you scan a QR code in the reference collection, you will be directed to the online equivalent of the print resource — saving you the time of typing in a long and unwieldy web address. For those users without QR code-reading devices, you will also find a shortened url you can use to access the e-resource.

There are several free QR code readers for Apple and Android devices. Recommended *free* QR Code Readers for Apple and Android devices: Scan & QR Code Simple (Apple only).

Some of the major online reference works include: Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion, Encyclopedia Judaica, New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Series, Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Encyclopaedia of Islam, Encyclopedia of the Qu’ran, Ante-Nicene Fathers/Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Patrologia Latina, Patrologiae Graecae, Encyclopedia of Religion, Religion Past & Present, and the Encyclopedia of Religion in America.

QR Code for Religion Research Guide

You can pick up a full guide to the QR-coded reference works at the front desk or in the reference collection.

Note: Most of the QR-coded reference works are available to Duke users only and will require a Netid for full access.

Divinity Library Munch and Learn Sessions

Hannah Rozear — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:26:35 +0000

Grab your lunch and your laptop and come spend 30 minutes learning about some of the best research tools around. Below you will find the dates, times, locations, and descriptions of these sessions. As if learning about research tools wasn’t enticing enough…the sessions will also feature a limited number of free cookies!

Accordance Basics
When: Tues., March 5th, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: Are you a Mac user? Accordance is a popular bible software tool for Mac users. Come learn the basics of using Accordance for scripture and word study.

Online Resources for Exegesis
When: Thurs., March 7th, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: This session will cover online resources available for biblical exegesis. Resources will include Ministry Matters, Oxford Biblical Studies, and several other databases of relevance in biblical studies.

BibleWorks Basics
When: Tues., March 19th, 12:30-1pm
Where: Divinity Library Computer Lab (Level D)
Description: Come get hands-on training working with BibleWorks for scripture and word study. BibleWorks is installed on all library computers and this class will give you an introduction to navigating and using BibleWorks 8.

Citations Made Easy—Zotero
When: Thurs., March 21st, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: Learn how to use Zotero, a popular web-based research tool, to manage your citations & create easy, formatted bibliographies.

ATLA Religion Database
When: Tues., March 26th, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: ATLA is a major database in the field of religion and theology. This session will cover: using ATLA for Scripture Searches, and finding articles on topics ranging from church history to biblical exegesis.

Research w/ Primary Sources
When: Thurs., March 28th, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: The library has rich collections of primary source materials. Find out how to locate and use good search strategies to find primary sources for your research.

Citations Made Easy—EndNote Web
When: Tues., April 2nd, 12:30-1pm
Where: 0013 Westbrook
Description: Learn how to use EndNote Web to manage citations & create formatted bibliographies.

BibleWorks Basics
When: Thurs., April 4th, 12:30-1pm
Where: Divinity Library Computer Lab
Description: same as above.

Questions? Contact divlib@duke.edu for more information about these sessions.

Library Resources for the History of the Papacy

Hannah Rozear — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:16:16 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation this month has put the Roman Catholic Church at the forefront of news media coverage. The Divinity School Library has a rich collection of research materials for study of the Catholic Church and the history of the papacy. Below you find a few selected resources available in the library or online.

(Left to Right) Enciclopedia dei Papi, Oxford Dictionary of the Popes, and the Papacy: an Encyclopedia.

Enciclopedia dei Papi: (in Italian), Divinity reference, BX955.2 .E53 2000
Oxford Dictionary of Popes (2010) online and in print
The Papacy: an Encyclopedia (2002) in Divinity reference, BX955.3 .D5313 2002
Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis): a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter through the 15th century. Translated into English by Louise Ropes Loomis.
The Vatican: the Holy See website provides an archive of primary documents (current and historic) relevant to the Catholic Church.
Browse call number range BX955
Browse primary sources in the Duke library catalog here: papacy — history — sources
Comprehensive library research guide to Catholic studies

BibleWorks 9 Workshop on February 12th

Hannah Rozear — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:50:24 +0000

Jim Barr will be leading a workshop on February 12th on BibleWorks 9. The session will take place in Westbrook 0016 from 12:20-1:30pm. Bring your lunch and learn about this exciting research tool!

What is BibleWorks? BibleWorks is a specialized software program for exegetical research and textual analysis of the Bible. The program contains 200+ translations of the Bible and is also loaded with lexicons and reference works to aid in advanced analysis of the text. BibleWorks is used by many students and faculty as an essential aid for exegetical research.

What will be covered in the workshop? This workshop will give you a thorough introduction to BibleWorks 9 and Jim Barr of BibleWorks will demo the program’s powerful search engine and advanced features.

After the session you will:

Understand how key tools and resources are integrated in BibleWorks
Learn many “shortcuts” and quick keys to speed up research
Explore maps, vocabulary flashcards, synoptics & diagramming tools
See the dynamic new Manuscripts Project and Textual Apparatus

What can you do in BibleWorks?

Perform simple or complex, context sensitive word searches on the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek Old and New Testaments, the Latin Vulgate, and a wide range of English and other national language Bible texts
Explore the morphologies and lexical definitions of Greek and Hebrew words
Gain instant access to lexicons and reference sources within the BibleWorks interface
Search through the resulting lists of verses
Do detailed statistical analysis of words, verses, custom strings of terms

How do I access BibleWorks? BibleWorks 8 is installed on all public computers in the Divinity School Library and on all machines in the Level D computer classroom. The software is also available to purchase for personal computers on the BibleWorks website.

Have questions? Ask a librarian for more information about using BibleWorks.

Ebook Treasure Trove: University Press Scholarship Online

Hannah Rozear — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:23:43 +0000

University Press Scholarship Online (UPSO) has an impressive collection of ebook titles for research in religion, theology, and biblical studies. Through a partnership with the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) and Oxford University Press, Duke researchers (including alumni!) will have access to all new e-content published in UPSO, as well as numerous titles already available through this database. You can read more about: the TRLN initiative here and alumni access here. The bulk of the titles are published by Oxford University Press, but there are a growing number of titles by other prominent university presses included in this collection.

What’s Inside? Within the Browse By Subject category for Religion, you can browse the titles available in the following sub-categories:

A view of UPSO subcategories for religion.

Additional humanities content that may be of interest to researchers in religion include subject categories for philosophy (1351) and classical studies (323), as well as numerous other disciplinary collections.

Finding Books & Navigating University Press Scholarship Online

Individual ebook titles in the UPSO collection will appear in search results for the Duke library catalog. You can also search the UPSO database directly here (click “Get it at Duke” to log in). Once in the database, choose Religion from the Browse By Subject categories to narrow your search.

Browse By Subject

Through the UPSO interface you can browse titles by subject area, or use keywords to search across all titles. If you create a free UPSO account, you will have access to advanced features for saving and tracking your searches.

Once you have selected a title, you can click on chapter headings to begin reading within the UPSO interface. You also have the option to download a PDF of the chapter. There is no limit to how many chapters you can download from any given title.

A glimpse of a chapter page in UPSO

1. The icons along the top allow you to print, save, cite, email, or bookmark & share the citation via numerous sharing applications (facebook, tumblr, etc.).
2. The bar across the top of the text allows you to easily jump forward and backward between chapters in the selected book.
3. Within a chapter, a link to “Download chapter (pdf)” will appear.

Do you have questions? Contact the Divinity School Library for help using University Press Scholarship Online.

Divinity Reference Collection Has Moved

Hannah Rozear — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:08:29 +0000

Over the winter break library staff were busy moving the reference collection to a new location on the main floor of the library. The collection is currently located where the current periodicals used to be on the main floor of the library (see map below). This move is in anticipation of the loss of the reference room space during the Rubenstein Library renovations to begin in May. The *old* reference room will remain open as a study space through the spring semester.

Map of the collection with LC call numbers.

The signage on the shelves should help re-orient you to your favorite reference works, but do not hesitate to ask library staff for help locating reference books. Please leave any reference books that you no longer need on the re-shelving truck in the reference area or return them to the circulation desk.

Online commentaries and reference works? Yes, please!

Hannah Rozear — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:30:44 +0000

Introducing: Ministry Matters

Access it here: Ministry Matters

The iPreach database has been revamped, respun, and renamed: Ministry Matters. Launched by the United Methodist Publishing House, Ministry Matters describes itself as a “magazine, a reference library, and a social network.” This is a welcome shift from the clunky, early-90’s-era iPreach database.

A view of the Library in Ministry Matters

What’s inside?
One of the biggest perks of Ministry Matters for Duke users is its collection of online Biblical reference works, lectionary tools, and commentaries. You’ll find a full list of resources under the “Library” tab. Click on the (+) or (-) to view the list of works included in our subscription. The ones with the “Purchased” label are fully accessible to Duke users.

Biblical Reference: New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation, to name a few…
Commentaries: New Interpreter’s Bible, Abingdon OT and NT commentaries, to name a few…
Bible Translations: CEB, KJV, RSV, NIV, NRSV, OTH, NTG. You have the lots of selection here with full-text versions of these Bible translations.

In addition to more scholarly works, this database is flush with valuable resources to help with preparing sermons, preaching, teaching, and ministry in the church. You’ll find lists of these resources under: Lectionary Resources, Sermon Collections and Illustrations, Preaching Reference, Worship Services, and on down the line. In the other tabs on this site (Preach, Teach, Worship, Reach, Lead), Ministry Matters pulls together loads of video, audio, and blog content. Click on the “Home” tab (house icon) to cross-search all of the tabs based on your search terms.

NOTE: To access Duke’s subscription library content, you will need to log in using your netid and password.

Advanced Hacks
It can be useful to save/bookmark pages that you find in Ministry Matters and to do so, you’ll need to create a Ministry Matters account. Once you’ve done so, you can use the “Add to Bin” feature on any page within the MM interface. You can then access your “Bins” by clicking the “My Bins” tab at the top of the page. Think of it as your very own spiritual shopping cart. Check out the “Sunday Bin” for pre-loaded sermon starters and worship ideas selected by Ministry Matters editors.

Adding a page to your “Bin”

The “social network” aspect of this site is facilitated by options within the site to add comments, share bins, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, or a number of other share options. For more information about using and citing resources in Ministry Matters, see their FAQ page.

Have questions or comments about Ministry Matters? Ask a librarian!