Associate Professor of Theological Bibliography
Degrees
- BA, Southern Methodist University, 2001
- MDiv, Emory University, 2004
- MLIS, Florida State University, 2007
Myka Kennedy Stephens joined the faculty in 2014 and directs the Lancaster Theological Seminary Library. She holds a B.A. in English with minors in religious studies and music from Southern Methodist University, a Master of Divinity from Emory University, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University. Prior to coming to Lancaster Theological Seminary, she worked at Bridwell Library, Pitts Theology Library, and consulted with several churches and church agencies in the areas of library, information, and communication ministries.
Called to ministry as a theological librarian, Myka is a deaconess of The United Methodist Church. Her research interests include integrated strategic planning and library administration, open-source library systems, and human information behavior theories in relation to religious engagement and faith development.
She has served as president of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Books@Atla Open Press.
Selected Publications
Monographs
Integrated Library Planning: A New Model for Strategic and Dynamic Planning, Management, and Assessment. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, forthcoming.
Professional Papers
“Defining Balances in Collection Development Policies,” with Katie Benjamin, Andrew Keck, and Michelle Spomer, Summary of Proceedings: Seventy-fourth Annual Conference of Atla (2020): 87-108.
“Small and Thriving: A Follow-Up to ‘The Future of the Small Theological Library,” with Susan Ebertz and Elizabeth Young Miller, Summary of Proceedings: Seventy-third Annual Conference of Atla (2019): 85-96.
“Integrated Planning for Theological Libraries,” Summary of Proceedings: Seventy-First Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2017): 133-140.
“Open Source Software in Theological Libraries,” with Richard M. Adams and Matthew S. Collins, Summary of Proceedings: Seventieth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2016): 99-110.
“The Future of the Small Theological Library,” Theological Librarianship: An Online Journal of the American Theological Library Association 9, no. 1 (2016): 28-32.
“Hosting Conversations in the Library: A User-Centered Approach to Change,” Summary of Proceedings: Sixty-Ninth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2015):226-231.
“A Prophetic Voice for Love, Justice, and Service: The Lay Diaconate Embodied by United Methodist Deaconesses and Home Missioners,” with Becky Dodson Louter, Currents in Theology and Ministry 42, no. 3 (July 2015): 205-212.
