So I know I have not written in a while, but the library is doing well. The bugs have been, mostly, cleaned out of the new computer system, summer is over, and we are ready for the new school year to begin. Since it has been some time, I wanted to just use this blog post to tell you about some of the new books we have added to the collection over the summer.

My plan is to have links directly to our catalog throughout this blog post, so you can see exactly which books I am referencing. If there are any problems, please let me know.

There have been some very good new biblical commentary series being published, including one from Baker Academic entitled the “Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.” Right now there are 12 volumes available, all from the New Testament. These have been a very nice addition to the collection and, as more are published, we will continue to acquire these volumes. Also in the world of scriptural studies, this book is several years old but new to our collection, “Reading the Old Testament with the Ancient Church.”

The next several books have been purchased on the recommendations of the Director of Worship and Director of Liturgical Formation, Fr. Alvan Amadi. He has given the library several excellent book suggestions, including a favorite novel author of his, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She has four novels that are part of the collection, they are so popular that at this point in time they are all checked out. One other suggestion from Fr. Amadi is a new prayer book, “Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers that Even I Can Offer,” by Leah Libresco.

Then, of course, there are available some interesting new books on the Catholic faith. These are aimed at both younger and older generations, so everybody can enjoy. The first one is “Ask the Bible Geek: Fascinating Answers to Intriguing Questions,” by Mark Hart. The next one has questions and answers on just about everything people want to know, “Tweeting with God: # Big Bang, Prayer, Bible, Sex, Crusades, Sin, Career,” by Michel Remery. Finally, a book to help those trying to wade through the Catholic Catechism, “The Faith: A Question-and-Answer Guide to The Catechism of the Catholic Church,” by John Hardon.

Finally, here is a selection of other books from the new book shelf. First, a book for the Year of Consecration, “New generations of Catholic sisters: the challenge of diversity,” by Mary Johnson. I know events and videos have brought about a renewed fervor for the rights of life, which brings us to Christopher Kaczor’s “A Defense of Dignity: Creating Life, Destroying Life, and Protecting the Rights of Conscience.” Archbishop Listecki has proposed a renewed push for our Catholic schools in the urban community, which leads me to this book, “Urban Catholic Education: Tales of Twelve American Cities,” by Thomas Hunt and Timothy Walsh. Lastly, “Rebuilding Youth Ministry: 10 Practical Strategies for Catholic Parishes,” by Christopher Wesley.

These, of course, are just a few examples of the many new books we have added, so please come in and check what else is on our shelves. I did not even get to the DVDs or CDs, or the new children’s books we have added.

As always, if you have any ideas or comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. Remarks are always appreciated – anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.

Here is some basic information about the library:
• Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
• The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
• There is free Wi-Fi available.
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