Apply for Library Award

Request for Proposals

The International Society for Science and Religion requests proposals from institutions of higher learning to receive complete Libraries of major works in the field of science and the human spirit. These books will collectively provide for a comprehensive foundation for study, teaching and research in science and religion and related fields. Winnowed from thousands of books currently in print in this area, these titles are representative of the most important authors and treat the vast range of interdisciplinary subject matter at the highest level of quality and scholarship. Selected through rigorous peer review, these titles reflect no ideological or religious bias and are drawn from many faith traditions as well as authors with vigorously naturalistic perspectives.

The ISSR will select up to 150 institutions on a competitive basis to receive libraries consisting of approximately 200 matching hardbound volumes accompanied by a comprehensive Companion edition written by Society members that summarizes and critiques each volume.

Applications are especially encouraged from universities with active research and teaching in related fields which can take advantage of the ISSR Library to substantially enhance the quality and impact of their work.

Purpose and Goals

The ISSR Library in Science and Religion is a multi-year project designed to enhance scholarly and pedagogical access to foundational texts in this growing discipline.

• Drawing on the unique expertise of the invited membership of the Society, the editorial board has selected volumes that provide the essential core of research to date along with a number of additional works that contextualize major lines of inquiry. Foundational work in science and religion is coupled with explanatory and background texts in related fields as well as science, history, philosophy and religious studies.
• Scholars and students with access to the ISSR Library and Companion will have at their disposal a compendium of foundational and contemporary thinking in the field, thereby gaining a broad understanding of the work that has gone before. This access will promote study and research at an informed and advanced level and facilitate the development of new results and novel avenues of exploration.
• Institutions that successfully compete for receipt of the ISSR Library will gain important new holdings that will enhance their libraries and provide an information base on which to build new academic offerings and support faculty and student research.

Eligibility

Institutions of higher learning with permanent circulating libraries are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to those with active teaching and research but whose institutional resources for book acquisition are limited. Application should be made by members of the faculty or administration and must be accompanied by letters of interest from supervisory personnel with responsibility for library holdings and management.

Selection Criteria

Institutions will be selected in a competitive process based on their present capacity, commitment to research and study in science and religion, institutional support for related projects and original and promising plans for scholarly activity related to the Library.

• Present capacity will be determined based on such considerations as: current library holdings and quality of library infrastructure, present circulation of library holdings, number of faculty, students and others with access to library holdings.
• Commitment to research in science and religion should be indicated by faculty presentations and publications, courses taught and student research projects, theses or dissertations written in science and religion, science and spirituality or related fields.
• Institutional support should be demonstrated through a commitment to prominently house the Library within the circulating collection (preference will be given to libraries willing to house the ISSR Library as a complete whole prominently displayed within the circulating collection). Additional support will strengthen applications including but not limited to: plans to introduce new courses, granting of research release or other support to faculty to familiarize themselves with the texts, craft research agendas or design new courses in related fields, matching funds for acquisitions, other institutional initiatives focused on related fields.
• Original and promising plans for scholarly activity are welcomed as part of the application. Such plans may originate from faculty, students or administration and should clearly feature use of the ISSR Library.

Applications

Applications must be submitted online by faculty members or administrators.

Accompanying materials must include a signed statement of interest from the supervisor of the institution’s circulating library indicating a commitment to receive, display and circulate the Library.

Applications will be judged on a rolling basis beginning in April 2009.

Enquiries can be made to:

Sharon Mellul
Library Program Assistant
The International Society for Science and Religion
Bene’t House
St. Edmunds College
Mount Pleasant
Cambridge
CB3 OBN

Tel: +0044 (0) 1223 740724
Email: admin@issrlibrary.org