Books from the general collection normally circulate for a period of four weeks and may be renewed unless requested by another patron. Patrons are expected to locate the books they need and must bring them to the Service Desk to be charged. The arrangement of books in the library is posted on each level, and the staff members at the Reference and Service Desks are available to provide assistance in locating materials.
HTI 2000–2001 mentor and the Henry Luce Professor of Ecumenics and Mission at Princeton Theological Seminary Luis N. Rivera-Pagán extols the Library's "serious engagement to house and preserve a rich and diverse Latin American ecclesiastical and theological bibliographical collection." Article: A Treasure Field to be Explored and Exploited: PTS Latin American Periodical Collection
Christian Education Resources (Reigner Reading Room)
The Charles G. Reigner Reading Room, which will be located on the second floor of the new library, is an educational resource center that maintains a wide range of educational materials, including Christian education curricula, CDs, DVDs, filmstrips, slides, videos, games, records, cassettes, and audiovisual materials. The materials are available to Seminary students and faculty, and also available at a yearly fee to church educators throughout the broader Princeton community. Those interested should contact the reading room staff for information about fees and regulations.
Periodical Collection
The most current periodicals are located on shelves on the first floor of the new library. They must be used there or in the copying area. Past issues of periodicals are bound into volumes that are shelved in the stacks on the lower level. They do not circulate and must not be left overnight in carrels or study rooms.
Reference Collection
The reference collection, with nearly 10,000 volumes, contains the resources generally consulted in theological study, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, almanacs, atlases, and handbooks. It features a broad array of bibliographical resources, including indexing tools; union lists; catalogs of specialized libraries; and national, trade, and subject bibliographies. Primary texts essential to the Christian tradition and a core collection of Biblical commentaries are also included in the collection, adding to its richness and value. Included as well are a number of texts that are so comprehensive in their treatment of a subject and so well indexed that they function as reference tools. Reference books do not circulate, and patrons using them must return them to the reference reshelving cart before leaving the library.
Reserve Collection
This collection consists of a selected number of volumes and articles that are heavily used in Seminary courses. It is located behind the Service Desk and is serviced by staff during all times when the library is open. Patrons may take only one reserve book at a time for reading and two for photocopying, and materials must be returned within the two-hour loan period. Patrons without Seminary Library cards may be asked to provide ID. Two hours before the library closes, patrons may check out a maximum of two reserve books for overnight use, and these must be returned the first hour of the next day that the library is open. A valid library identification card and local telephone number are required for overnight service.