About the Library

The Library plays a key role in the teaching, learning and research activities of Moore College. The Library collection is one of the largest collections of theological works in the Southern Hemisphere. The subject areas of biblical and theological studies, Australian church history and protestant reformation history are well represented. Our collection contains -

The Library has a continuous history of book collection since 1856. With its Bray collection, originally given to the Port Jackson Lending Library in 1809, the Library holds some of the first public library books to come to Australia.

The Library Collections

Main Collection

The main collection consists of titles to support the College's undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research.  The collection exists in print and other formats.

Stack & Deposit

The Stack and Deposit are offsite collections of less frequently used items. Stack and Deposit are Closed Access collections.  All users of the Library may request that items be retrieved from them to be borrowed.  Stack items are retrieved daily; Deposit items weekly.

Serials, Journals and Periodicals

Serials, journals and periodicals are not available for loan but may be used in the Library.  The collection contains over 2000 titles; over 700 are current subscriptions.   Serials are shelved alphabetically by title in the serials room, through the door in the circulation area.

Audio/Visual

DVDs, CDs, Videos and Cassettes are available to be borrowed.  The children's videos and DVDs are particularly popular!  DVDs and CDs are Closed Access and may be requested from the Catalogue or the Service Desk.

Pamphlets

Many small, fragile or unpublished works, leaflets and essays are held in this Closed Access collection.  Items are retrieved hourly by Library staff.  Requests can be made via the Catalogue or at the Service Desk.

Microfiche and Microfilm

Many old titles and journals are held in Microfiche or Microfilm format.  These Closed Access collections may be requested via the Catalogue or at the Service Desk.  Items can be viewed, scanned to PDF, and then printed or emailed using  the reading machine available in the Serials room.  Fiches and films may not be removed from the Library.

EReserve

Many items in the collection are available electronically.  These items have a link in the Catalogue that allows library members to read them online.

Reserve

Books and journal articles in high demand and/or on reading lists are placed on Reserve.

This Closed Access collection is housed behind the Library Service Desk.   Items are lent out for two hours at a time. Overdue fines are charged at the rate of $2 for every hour or part hour that the item is overdue.

Any student may place a book on Closed Reserve by taking it to the Service Desk and completing the form provided.

Rare Books

The Bishop Broughton Memorial Library forms a unique collection.  The books represent one of the most interesting and substantial groups of sixteenth to nineteenth century books on religion to be found anywhere in Australia.  As such, they are a valuable complement to research collections of the period in other libraries.  The collection houses books published before 1840 and contains 3,782 bibliographic records.

The collection strengths are in Protestant Reformation, with a significant collection of various editions of The Book of Common Prayer. Specific funding from the Richard Johnson Fund enables purchase of texts relevant to the English Reformation published before 1701.

The collection is available for research purposes by approved users and can be accessed by the online catalogue.

Australiana

The Margaretta Mary Woodriff Memorial Library (Australiana) is an important collection of monographs and serials relating to the Australia/Pacific region.  It is known as the Australiana collection and provides critical research and background material for the study of Australian church history and contemporary Australian church issues.

The collection consists of about 19,000 titles, of which some are rare or pre-1900 Australian imprints.  It includes an extensive collection of Sydney Diocesan, historical, geographic and early religious material.

Asian Language

This small collection, comprising 1,428 items, contains works in Asian languages, predominately Chinese.  The works are both translations of western titles and original works by Asian theologians. All the works are catalogued with the title either translated or transliterated into Pinyin. 

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