Alma Hunt Library

The Alma Hunt Library was founded in 1999 when Leland received a gift from the late director of the Women’s Missionary Union, Ms. Alma Hunt. The library is located at the main campus in Arlington, Virginia.

The Alma Hunt Library contains a growing collection of over 10,000 volumes in the subjects of biblical studies, systematic studies, missions, and Baptist studies, which Leland students, local clergy, and students of the Washington Theological Consortium may use for research and enrichment.

Library Resources

STUDENT SUPPLEMENT FOR THE SBL HANDBOOK OF STYLE (2D ED.)
The Student Supplement contains citation, transliteration, and formatting guidelines and samples of different portions of papers.

VERSO, The Alma Hunt Library Catalog

The Verso Library Catalog allows patrons to search The Alma Hunt Library Collection by way of keyword, title, author, and ISBN. Verso Catalog also allows users to monitor their library item(s) due-date, renew items online, request items, put items on hold.

Databases

The Alma Hunt Library participates in two database consortia which enables our students, faculty, and staff access to professional theological articles, of which the majority is full-text.

• EBSCOhost provides two theological journal databases

  • ATLAReligion – an annotated bibliographical index of journal articls, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion

  • ATLASerials – a full-text, online collection of major religion and theological journal articles selected by leading religion scholars and theologians

• FirstSearch provides two humanities journal databases

  • WilsonSelectPlus

  • ERIC

WorldCat

WorldCat is a global library catalog that allows users to search hundreds of thousands of library collections at the same time.

Washington Theological Consortium Libraries

Active faculty, staff and students may obtain a WTC Borrowing Privileges Form each semester from the librarian to present along with a photo ID to any of the WTC member libraries. WTC borrowers may check out up to five items at a time from each consortium library.

Writing Resources

The Duke Divinity School Writing Center contains additional resources to aid in theological writing.

Library Policies

Who Can Borrow Library Materials?

The Leland Community:  Active faculty, staff, and students of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies and its alumni. Leland alumni are allowed to borrow no more than five books at a time for a three-week period with one renewal if no one is waiting for that item.

The Washington Theological Consortium Members:  Active faculty, staff and students of the Washington Theological Consortium Institutions.  Students and faculty members must present a currently valid WTC Borrowing Privileges Form, signed by their institution’s head librarian, and a photo identification card in order to be eligible to check out books.  Students are only allowed to borrow five items from each Consortium Library.

Local Clergy:  All clergy with a permanent residence in the Washington, DC metro area are eligible for borrowing items. Clergy members must present a photo ID and a letter of reference that confirms their status as a member of the clergy. This letter must be printed on his or her institution’s letterhead paper. Clergy may borrow no more than five items at a time for a three-week period.

Other Visitors:  Visitors are those members of the community who do not qualify for borrowing materials under any of the above categories. Visitors must fill out a Visitor’s Agreement Policy sheet on their first visit to the library and must sign our Guest Book every time they come into the library. Visitors are permitted to use resources within the library, but are not permitted to check any items out. To insure the safety of our collection, visitors are also required to hand over their house and car keys to the Librarian, Library Coordinator, or volunteer, to be held for the duration of their visit. Visiting patrons may access our licensed e-journals and databases in-house only. Visitors also have access to the Internet, Library Catalog, and the Microsoft Office Suite.

Circulation Policies

Borrowing Time:  John Leland students are allowed to borrow no more than ten books at a time for a four-week period. 

Renewal Policy: There is a maximum of two renewals for each item borrowed. When the item is returned after two renewals, the patron must allow those materials a two-week shelf time before checking those items out again.  Books can be recalled anytime during the first or second renewal period.  You may renew your items online.

Checking items out:  Please see the Librarian, Library Coordinator, or Library Volunteer at the circulation desk to check your items out. If a library staff member is not able to assist you at the time of check out, you may perform a self check-out.
 
Checking items in:  When returning borrowed items, either check them in with a library employee, or if no one is present, please leave borrowed items in the return bin, located next to the Reserves shelf area. The bin reads, “Return Items Here.”

Non-circulation items:  Non-circulating items include reference and journals/periodicals.   You may use these items in house and photocopy the information within these items.  Each photocopy is $0.10 per page.

Book Hold:  A book hold is a request for an item be kept at the circulation desk, on hold, for a patron until they can pick it up. Students of JLCTS may place a hold for an item on our shelves, currently on loan to another patron, or on an item that is on order or being processed. The patron will have one week in which to retrieve their held item.

Book Reserves:  Reserves are library items given a shorter loan period at the request of the professor to ensure that all the students enrolled in a course have an opportunity to use the materials.

Leland Students may borrow up to two reserve items at a time for a two-hour loan period. If items are not returned by the end of the two-hour loan period, patrons will be charged a $1.50 for every hour it remains checked out.

Reserve items may not leave the Leland Center.

Fines & Due Dates

Fine:  $0.25 per item, per day the item is late

Grace Period:  You will have a one week grace period in which to either renew or return your items. If you do not renew or return your books within the one week grace period, a penalty of $0.25 per item, per day, will be issued. The grace period does not apply to recalled items, reserve items, journals, reference, or other materials in special sub-collections.

Overdue Notices:  Notices are courtesy reminders that your books are overdue. The library is not responsible for delayed notices due to inaccurate e-mail addresses, postal addresses, or other postal problems. The first overdue notice is sent the day after the item is due. When an item is 28 days overdue, a final notice will be sent, informing the patron that their borrowing privileges are suspended until the situation is resolved. Once the borrowed item is checked in, a bill containing all the fines allocated will be sent to the patron within two business days.

Lost/Damaged Item Policies

Lost Item Replacement Charges:  When a library item is deemed “lost,” the library will charge the patron the replacement cost of each lost item, plus a $25.00 book processing fee. “Lost” items cannot be renewed and must be returned to the library for your account to be credited. If the item is returned after billing and before the library has begun the reorder process to replace it, your account will be adjusted and the replacement and processing fees will be removed. If the library has “withdrawn” the item, some portion of the replacement fee plus the $25.00 processing fee will be retained. Students with outstanding charges of $35.00 or higher will be referred to the Student Billing Office for collection after one month.

Damaged Item:  All items borrowed from The Alma Hunt Library must be returned in the same condition as they were when checked out. Borrowers are responsible for any damage that occurs to an item while it is checked out on their library account. The types of damage for which one can be charged include, but are not limited to, the following:
– Loose Hinges
– Worn and Damaged Covers
– Writing on pages
– Covers separating from text block
– Loose, torn and missing pages
– Tape repairs
– Stains and unidentified substances on the cover or pages
– Wet books
– Mold

A borrower may replace the lost or damaged item with a copy acceptable to The Alma Hunt Library Librarian and/or Director.  If the borrower chooses this option, he or she may disregard the $25.00 processing fee.

Borrowers’ Responsibilities

• You are responsible for all materials checked out in your name and any fees or damages incurred until the items are returned.

• For WTC borrowers: Please produce your Student ID and WTC Borrowing Privileges Form when checking books out from the Alma Hunt Library.

• Do not loan your ID or your borrowed items to others.

• Do not depend on others to return items for you.

• It is the responsibility of the borrower to be aware of the time or date that the materials are due. Overdue notices are sent as a courtesy. Failure to receive these notices does not remove the borrower’s obligation to return material by the due date, nor does it constitute grounds for reducing a borrower’s fines.

• Borrowed materials can be recalled at any time; however this is most likely to occur during the second renewal period of an item. When items are recalled, you will have seven days in which to return your items.

• It is your responsibility to update your address, e-mail address, and other contact information with the seminary and library so that you may receive library notices, etc.

• If you plan to be out of town, it is your responsibility to have materials returned on time. It is recommended that items should be returned prior to travel.

• If you receive overdue notices for materials that you believe have been returned, contact the Alma Hunt Library at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies at 1-703-647-5946 and we will conduct a search.

• The borrowing of any materials from the Library signifies agreement by the borrower to abide by the rules and regulations of the JLCTS borrowing policies. Please note: you are responsible for knowing the JLCTS borrowing policies.

Confidentiality Statement:

*State privacy law Section  2.2-3705 of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act  prohibits Alma Hunt Library staff from releasing library records that can be used to identify both (i) any library patron who has borrowed material from a library and (ii) the material such patron borrowed. We cannot release any information concerning your library records without proper ID. Also, we cannot release information to a third party acting as your representative.