The Rev. Dr. Joseph C. McLelland Library consists of a spacious reading room overlooking the College’s garden and the basement stacks where most of its 25,000 volumes are shelved. The library specializes in Reformed and Presbyterian theology and history and also has a meaningful college of biblical commentaries and resources for practical theology. Access to the library’s print collection is through the online catalogue of McGill University Library. Those permitted to borrow from the library include students and staff of the three denominational colleges that comprise the Montreal School of Theology, McGill students and staff, and members of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The general public is welcomed during opening hours and encouraged to scan needed material.
The reading room contains current magazines, the reference collection, and a reserve section that consists of such frequently used resources as biblical commentaries, hymn books, prayer books, and current textbooks for academic courses. During opening hours, the College’s librarian, whose service island is in the middle of the reading room, is always available for reference questions. The library, however, is never closed to students and staff of the College, who have access to it via a keypad lock.
In 2007, the Presbyterian College library was renamed in honour of the late Rev. Dr. Joseph C. McLelland, in recognition and celebration of Dr. McLelland’s 50-year association with the College as a scholar, teacher, administrator, leader, and mentor in theological education that has shaped generations of students and ministers. Dr. McLelland was the author of numerous books and articles ranging from such popular works as The Other Six Days to weighty academic tomes such as Prometheus Rebound: The Irony of Atheism.
Dr. McLelland’s first research interest was the Italian Reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli, and He was also a founder and editor of the Peter Martyr Library. From 1975 to 1985 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill, and he has also served as Acting Principal of The Presbyterian College. He was the moderator of the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1985. A special dedication event marking the renaming of the library took place in fall 2007.
