Library & Learning Resources
The principal learning resource center for the Christendom Graduate School is the St. John the Evangelist Library located on the Christendom College campus in Front Royal, Virginia. The St. John the Evangelist Library has a collection in excess of 100,000 volumes, 10,000 of which are in the fields of religion and theology, and over 4,000 of which are in the field of philosophy. The Christendom Graduate School’s Alexandria campus includes the St. Paul Library, which contains more than 19,000 books, periodicals, and a variety of electronic resources suitable for research in theology and philosophy.
Borrowing Privileges
Graduate students have ready access to the whole Christendom collection. Students are assigned a seven-digit ID number which they can use to log in to the online library catalog. A library card is not necessary, but may be obtained if desired. Graduate students can easily check books out from both branches of the Christendom Libraries, and they may also request that materials from either location be delivered to them at the other library within a few days. Distance students may also request that library materials be sent to them; they will be required to pay return shipping only. Some requests may be refused if the material is rare or easily available elsewhere. Students also have access to materials from thousands of libraries around the country via the Interlibrary Loan service. This service is accessible through the library web page or by contacting the Library Assistant.
Partner Libraries
Christendom graduate students and faculty have library privileges at the Woodstock Theological Library and the Lauinger Library of Georgetown University, and at the Dominican College Library of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Dominican House of Studies (Washington, DC). In addition, currently-enrolled students can access the collections of more than thirty academic institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) and its Universal Borrowing Pilot Program. A Christendom library card may be used by current matriculating students to check out materials from all of these libraries. Distance learning students may also be able to gain guest access to local university libraries with their Christendom library card. Students should contact the St. Paul Library or their academic advisor if a letter is required by their local host library in order to grant access privileges.
Online Resources
The Christendom Libraries subscribe to several online databases, which are available to students and faculty not only on-campus, but also off-site. These resources, which include current and past scholarly periodicals, reference works, book reviews, and more, are available on the library web page at https://library.christendom.edu/home.
Research Assistance
The Christendom Libraries provide training to students and faculty in research techniques and the use of learning resources. A research proseminar video is available in the online classroom, and live research proseminars are periodically conducted on campus. The Graduate School Library Assistant and the Reference Librarian at the St. John Library are also available for assistance with research.
Writing Center
Editorial assistance for writing assignments is available through the St. Paul Writing Center. Assistance is provided at every level of the writing process from initial research to final revisions. Students can sign up for consultation at the Library Assistant’s office, or contact Olivia Colville at olivia.colville@christendom.edu.