The Lapp Learning Commons is committed to the instructional and research needs of the CTS scholarly community. Whether on-campus or virtually, our mission is to be a hub for scholarship at CTS and provide access to scholarly resources and support services for the study of religion and theology. The Lapp Learning Commons strives to keep abreast of emerging technologies to meet the ever-changing information needs of our community, promote information literacy and life long learning.
The Learning Commons aspires to reflect CTS' strong commitment to ecumenical and interreligious scholarship and praxis. Towards this end, we support an inclusive approach to reflect the diversity of our religious traditions and life stances.
Our strategic goals are as follows:
Access Services: To expand user-centered services and tools that promote on-campus and virtual access and use of materials.
Acquisions & Collection Development: To collect, curate, share and preserve resources in print and digital formats that support instructional and research needs that reflect the multitude of diversities in our learning community.
Instruction & Reference: To prepare students for academic, professional, and personal success by fostering critical information literacy skills and a culture of creativity and discovery.
Community Bridge-Building & Advocacy: To cultivate a scholarly hub for the CTS community and be a collaborative partner on student success and retention.
Archives and Records Management: To preserve and share the multifaceted institutional legacy of the Chicago Theological Seminary for current and future generations.
Professional Development: To build the capacity of library staff to keep abreast of emerging technologies and support inclusive approaches to information resource sharing and delivery.
CTS is also part of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS), formed in 1984 by twelve theological schools located in the Chicago area. CTS students are able to access library resources and participate in a diverse network of theological schools. Among the twelve schools there is a library collection of 2.1 million volumes and nearly 5,500 periodical subscriptions.
The Lapp Learning Commons is located on the third floor of the Chicago Theological Seminary and offers different types of study spaces and amenities.