About Special Collections

The ORU Library has several special collections that are shelved, or stored, in areas outside of the main library area. For example, in addition to the Holy Spirit Resource Center, there are three special theology collections are stored at the Annex at CityPlex: Santos, Lasor and JST collections. (For help or access, inquire at the Library Services Desk.)

Once you have the call number you will need to find the book on the library shelves. Remember to note which floor the items is on and the location code, which may identify a special collection.

See: Library Special Collections

Location
Library Code Special Library Collection Name and Location
CMC

CMC entranceopens new windowCurriculum Media Center, Education Center, LRC 5th floor
Contains the audiovisual collection of slides, tapes and cassettes, as well as children's literature, media for grades K-12, and other materials teachers use to develop curriculum. in addition, there is a computer lab for education majors.

HLSSP

HLSS research libraryHealth, Leisure and Sport Science Periodicals, located in the opens new windowHLSS Research library, Aerobic Center.

A special health, leisure and sport science collection of non-circulating print journals, many of which are not available full text online.

HSRC

HSRCHoly Spirit Resource Center, J.D. McKean Library, 3rd floor.

LRC-PER

Periodicals and Microform (magazines, etc.). Current print periodicals are shelved on the last row of shelves on the 2nd floor. Inquire at the Library Services Desk if you need assistance.

LRC-REF
LRC-R

Reference Collection, 1st floor.
Includes subject encyclopedias, specialized dictionaries, handbooks and similar materials that you would not necessarily read cover-to-cover. The reference also includes many biblical commentaries. To find specific reference titles,use the Library catalog and limit to "Reference Collection." Books are shelved in Library of Congress (LC) call number order, so similar subjects will be shelved next to each other. See:
opens new windowLC Classification Outline or inquire at the Library Services Desk for assistance.

Reference books cannot be checked; however, some titles may have a duplicate in the main collection. Search the title you need in the library catalog to see if the book is located elsewhere in the library and available for checkout.

Reserve

opens new windowReserve Materials, located at the Library Services Desk, 1st floor
Consists of books, audiovisuals, tests, short articles and other items placed on reserve for student use in conjunction with courses offered at ORU.

TBM-Music Listening Room

timko bartonTimko Barton Music Collection, Timko Barton Music Building-Listening Lab (TB-2)
Contains a circulating collection of scores and a non-circulating collection of tapes and compact discs. Music majors are given priority for use of these materials.

THE-LAS

William Sanford LaSor Collection, Annex.
Reflecting the linguistic interests of its eponym, the 3,500 volumes of the William Sanford LaSor Memorial Library (LaSor) consist primarily of reference works on biblical and cognate Ancient Near Eastern languages, supplemented by volumes of specialized biblical, historical, and theological studies, many color transparencies of his extensive travels, and his personal teaching materials.

Ordained as a Presbyterian minister and serving as a military chaplain, LaSor also completed two Ph.D.’s – one in Old Testament studies, the other in New Testament. Author (some jointly) of twenty-six books, LaSor is acknowledged as a leading Old Testament evangelical scholar of the last quarter of the twentieth century. He taught for many years at Fuller Theological Seminary. His appreciation of ORU’s desire to foster irenic scholarship in Judaic-Christian studies facilitated purchase of this personal study library from his estate by the School of Theology & Missions.

THE-SAN

Elmar Camillo Dos Santos Collection, Annex.
Nearly 1,200 volumes which consists almost exclusively of valuable Judaic and early Christian biblical and religious texts and scholarly reference works. Almost all of these holdings are in non-English languages, mainly Hebrew, German, and Greek, requiring readers with more than minimal proficiency in each.

Elmar dos Santos was a distinguished Christian biblical scholar with special interest in both Judaica (including Septuagint studies) and the Synoptic Gospels. His library expresses these interests, including rare and specialized Judaic sources.

Dos Santos received his doctoral training in Jerusalem, where he lived for twenty-three years, during which time he also taught in several venues. He became acquainted with then-student and now-Professor Brad Young during his studies. Together they worked with the late Dr. Robert Lindsey, whose hypothesis of Lukan priority among the Synoptic Gospels continues to be evaluated and extended through scholars at ORU and in academic societies such as the Society for Biblical Literature. Portions of Santos support such scholarship.

THE-JTS

Jewish Theological Seminary Collection, Annex.
Especially through the work of Dr. Brad Young, the seminary has fostered strong ties with the Jewish community as part of its conviction that Christians should understand the origins of their faith in large measure by understanding respectfully and deeply the Judaism from which Christianity was born and with which it still has unique relations.

Through Dr. Young’s acquaintance with scholars and librarians at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the University was able to purchase the holdings that constitute this special, secure and non-circulating collection. Among its many volumes that are found infrequently to rarely in North American libraries is the Monatschrift für die Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums.

PEN-ERV

Dr. Howard Ervin Collection, opens new windowHoly Spirit Resource Center, J.D. McKean Library, 3rd floor.
This special collection was the personal library of Dr. Howard Ervin, long-time ORU faculty member, donated by his family. All materials must be used in the Holy Spirit Resource Center.

Digital Showcase

The opens new windowDigital Showcase is ORU's Institutional Repository and includes a collection of scholarly, creative, and historical works from ORU.