Library Manual for Students

Welcome

Welcome to the Smith Library at Luther Rice! This guide is designed to acquaint you with our mission, services, resources, and procedures, so that you may use our library with ease and efficiency.

Purpose

• The purpose of Luther Rice College & Seminary is to provide biblical education for Christian ministers and leaders around the world with an end to granting undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• The purpose/mission of Smith Library is to provide adequate and accessible educational resources and services in support of the curricular and developmental needs of members of the Luther Rice community involved in the various academic programs to facilitate biblical education.
• A secondary purpose is to serve the information needs of alumni, local pastors, people of the community, and other libraries as time and resources allow.

History

The Luther Rice Library was founded in 1966 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named after Bertha Smith on December 7, 1972. Bertha Smith (1888-1988) was a Southern Baptist missionary who spent 40 years of faithful and effective ministry in China. Her heart was for revival in the hearts of God’s people. 
    
Dr. David Rhew directed and developed the Library during most of the years of Luther Rice College & Seminary’s existence and was responsible for implementing the first phase of the installation of library technology. After Dr. Rhew’s retirement in the summer of 2000, Rev. Hal Haller took over and he was director of the Luther Rice Library until June of 2013. Mr. Daryl Fletcher became the library director in July 2013. Mr. Prasada Sajja became the library director in July 2015. Ms. Alisha Blevins became a co-director with Mr. Hal Haller in 2019.