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History & Strengths

Pitts Theology Library, one of Emory University's six instructional libraries, is a distinguished collection of theological materials. With over 520,000 volumes, the library provides unusually rich resources for the Candler School of Theology and Emory University and has attracted international attention for some of its collections.

The growth of the library is due in part to the interest of a good friend of Candler, the late Miss Margaret A. Pitts of Waverly Hall, Georgia. Beginning in 1973, she made substantial gifts for new acquisitions, and in 1974 the library was named in honor of Miss Pitts and her father, W. I. H. Pitts.

The primary emphasis in collection development is on materials related to the development of Christian history and thought. The library also acquires materials in contiguous areas that are related to the history of other religious traditions (especially early Judaism), the interpretation of Jewish and Christian scriptures (e.g., historical and philological works related to the ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome), the history of Christianity (e.g., political and social history of the lands in which Christianity spread), the development of Christian theology (e.g., philosophy, ethics, literature), and the practice of Christian life and ministry (e.g., music, sociology, psychology). While most materials collected are in English, German, French, and Latin, materials in other languages are also acquired as necessary.

The Pitts Library subscribes to more than 1,300 periodicals, with special strength in titles from sub-Saharan Africa, and typically adds over 7,000 volumes to its collections annually. The Special Collections of the library are extensive, including over 100,000 rare or special books and almost 2,000 linear feet of unpublished archival materials. These collections include:

• over 3,300 books and several rare manuscripts documenting the history of the Protestant Reformation in Germany down to 1570,
• about 11,000 early North European theological dissertations,
• about 15,000 works of English and American hymnody and psalmody,
• over 35,000 books and extensive archival materials related to English religious history from 1660 to 1920, and
• extensive institutional records of Methodist organizations and of organizations concerned with pastoral care and theological education.