SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Dec. 2, 2011 —Drury’s F. W. Olin Library has been awarded a grant from the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) for a library collection worth more than $9,000. Drury joins a select group of only 150 institutions worldwide to receive an award from ISSR. The ISSR Library grant at Drury consists of 224 volumes spanning all areas of the interface between science and spirituality.
Drury was chosen in part because of its multi-disciplinary approach to liberal arts education and its ability to share the collection widely through the MOBIUS library system (MOBIUS is a statewide collaborative lending and catalog service connecting 65 library systems in Missouri). ISSR also looked favorably on the interest shown by professors, from Drury’s sciences and philosophy & religion departments, to utilize the collection in creative ways.
“This collection contains world-class scholarship by intellectuals from prestigious
ISSR books on display in Olin Library
institutions around the globe,” said Jacqueline Tygart, associate librarian for philosophy and religion. “Many of these authors are highly sought after speakers and experts in fields such as physics, genetics, neurobiology, philosophy and theology. This collection of books contributes greatly to Drury’s ability to fulfill its multi-disciplinary mission, and it will help students bridge the sometimes contentious divides between faith, spirituality, fact and reason.”
The Olin Library will host a reception to acknowledge the gift and introduce the collection on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at noon on the first floor of the library. The event is free and open to the public.
Supported by a one million pound grant from the John Templeton Foundation, the ISSR Library Project is based at St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University in England. The ISSR announced the launch of the Library Project in 2007 and began awarding library grants in 2010. Governed by Executive Director Dr. Pranab Das, Professor and Chair of Physics at Elon University and an Editorial Board of six scholars from institutions in the US and England, the ISSR Library Project created a foundational library of central texts in the field. This library consists of books spanning all important areas and disciplines as well as key international and intercultural voices. The texts were chosen by the Editorial Board in consultation with the membership of the ISSR and experts from many academic disciplines, faith traditions and regions.
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