Catholic Intellectual Tradition Scanning Project at the Boston College Libraries
The Boston College Libraries (BCL) collaborated with The Church in the 21st Century Center (C21) to scan the C21 booklet “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition: A Conversation at Boston College” and its accompanying discussion guide, “A Guide for Conversation”. Together, the documents create a structured curriculum to assist with discussions and exploration of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Members of the C21 Advisory Committee were charged with expanding access to these materials and promoting their use. Partnering with the Library on this digitization project facilitated both of these efforts. The BCL scanning project has opened up opportunities for discussion about the Catholic intellectual tradition, making it accessible to a greater audience.
The C21 Center at Boston College is a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States. Drawing from both the Boston College community and others, the C21 Center engages in critical conversations facing the Catholic community focusing on four critical issues: handing on the faith, roles and relationships in the Church, sexuality in the Catholic tradition, and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
The BCL involvement in the packet of Catholic Intellectual Tradition materials (CIT) began when a sub-committee of the C21 Advisory Committee met with Scott Britton, Associate University Librarian, and Margaret Cohen, Head Librarian Educational Initiatives & Research. The sub-committee had been formed determine ways to broaden the use of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition materials. The members of the sub-committee are: Dr. Robert Newton, Special Assistant to the President, Office of the President; Brian Gareau, Associate Professor, Sociology Department; Ms. Jessica Graf, Assistant Director, Residential Ministry, Office of Residential Life; Dr. Mary Troxell, Associate Professor of the Practice, Philosophy Department; and Barbara Adams Hebard, Conservator, John J. Burns Library. In addition to Britton and Cohen, the following library staff members contributed to the digitization effort: John O’Connor, Cheryl Ostrowski, Jack Kearney, Chris Mayo, Betsy Post, Chris Houston Ponchak, MTS, Naomi Rubin, Paige Walker, and Meg Critch
Britton and Cohen were immediately helpful in getting the CIT materials scanned and linked to the library website. They also invited Gregory Kalsheur SJ, Dean of Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, to give a talk about the CIT at the Library All Staff meeting on March 6. In preparation for the March meeting, Chris Strauber, Senior Research Librarian/Bibliographer, gathered the print versions of the CIT materials as well as related publications from the library collections and created a CIT display in the main lobby of the O’Neill Library.
Library staff have begun using the digitized material in a monthly discussion series about the interface of Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Higher Education. Library staff are encouraged to consult the materials prior to each discussion.
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition scanning project at the Boston College Libraries has already successfully worked to make the materials more available. Because all Boston College Departments now have easy access to the materials, they may wish to follow the Library model and engage in discussion sessions based on the C21 curriculum. Additionally, C21 can easily distribute the CIT materials to interested institutions and individuals because the BCL has completed this important scanning project, using the following link to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition: a guide for conversation – http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107691. Readers who wish to learn more about the Church in the 21st Century Center can find their website at: http://www.bc.edu/church21.html
