The American Theological Library Association (ATLA) is a professional organization of religious and theological libraries in the United States with more nearly 1,000 members. ATLA was founded in 1946 and is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of Illinois.
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{{cquote|The mission of the American Theological Library Association is to foster the study of theology and religion by enhancing the development of theological and religious studies libraries and librarianship.
ATLA exists so that:Libraries and librarians are effective and valued partners in the academic study of religion, theology, and ministry.
Subsidiary Ends 1 and 2 are in ranked order. Below that level, the ends are increasingly specific elaborations, numbered to indicate their relationship to 1 and 2. The ranking of the Ends does not dictate the proportion of resources allocated.
1. There is a continuing, prepared, and diverse complement of librarians.
1.1 Librarians are equipped to envision, implement, and advocate for the role of the library in their institutions.
1.1.1 Programming addresses the various career stages and specializations of members, enabling them to broaden knowledge, abilities, and skills, address challenges, and find greater satisfaction at work.
1.1.2 Potential theological and religious studies librarians are assisted in pursuing the profession.
1.2 ATLA and its members sustain collegial relationships with librarians, libraries, and appropriate organizations locally, regionally, and throughout the world.
1.3 ATLA reflects the diversity of our communities and institutions, including but not limited to religious, racial, ethnic, and gender diversities.
1.3.1 Individuals from under-represented racial and ethnic minority communities are welcomed as members of the association and are encouraged to hold leadership roles.
2. Primary source material and scholarly resources for the study of religion and theology are organized, preserved, and made accessible at a reasonable expenditure of funds, time, and resources.
2.1 Excellent research tools supporting the study of religion and theology are created to meet the needs of libraries, librarians, scholars, students, clergy, and laypeople.
2.1.1 Research and development initiatives successfully address needs for improved and new products and services.
2.2 Theological and religious studies librarians collaborate to develop solutions to information-related problems common to their libraries and collections.
(Adopted by the Board of Directors, January 14, 2010)
The first step toward the creation of ATLA came at the 1946 biennial meeting of the American Association of Theological Schools when presidents and deans in attendance asked the AATS executive committee to call a conference of theological librarians. In June 1947, fifty theological librarians, one president, and one dean met in Louisville, Kentucky to organize a permanent association and plan the future agenda of the American Theological Library Association. The group identified six major areas to address and assigned responsibilities for them: 1. AATS Booklist, 2. Cataloging and Classification, 3. Periodical Exchange, 4. Periodical Indexing, 5. Publications, and 6. Training of Personnel.
Programs developed rapidly in the new Association, including the following milestones:
More recent activities of ATLA include:
ATLA also issues various bibliographic resources, indexes to periodicals, multi-author works, and book reviews in religion. These include the ATLA Religion Database, and ATLA Serials (ATLAS), a collection of major religion and theology journals, launched in 2001. ATLAS has fully digitized article text going back to 1949. [1]