Joseph C. McLelland, professor, teacher, pastor and mentor for 50 years at Presbyterian College, Montreal, was honoured by having the college library named for him in October.
The dedication ceremony was well attended by students and staff from the College as well as dignitaries from the affiliated theological seminaries. Rev. Dr. McLelland's wife of 60 years, Audrey, and several family members shared in the occasion. The evening was capped by the unveiling of a plaque and the launch of McLelland's latest book, Understanding the Faith, a collection of essays, which is the first volume of the new Presbyterian College Studies in Theology and Ministry. McLelland is the author of countless articles, theological briefs and books that grace the shelves of the library where he spent so many hours.
At the dedication ceremony, current librarian Dr. Dan Shute gave an entertaining overview of the twists and turns the library went through as it reflected the struggling growth of the College. Originally conceived by a group of local Presbyterian leaders in 1864, the College got its charter in 1865, and then in 1867 a board of directors, a temporary home in a church basement and its first donation of books — 1,000 volumes from Knox College in Toronto. In 1871, three years after getting its first professor, the College got its first building. Scottish merchant David Morrice added a wing for a library at his own expense in 1881. The College's current building with its library was completed in 1963.
The collection described by a Scottish diplomat in 1915 “as one of the finest theological libraries in Canada” has ebbed and flowed over the years. It was actually targeted to disappear as a separate entity when the College's affiliation with the McGill Faculty of Religious Studies in 1969 originally called for its then 25,000 volumes to be amalgamated into the larger collection. When the transition point arrived however, the Divinity Hall library at McGill had already absorbed the United and Diocesan Colleges' libraries and could not absorb anymore for lack of space. When Rev. Dr. William Klempa became principal of the College in 1978, he steered the library in the direction of Reformed history and theology, with a good representation of Biblical commentaries and reference works. The process has continued under the leadership of Rev. Dr. John Vissers.
As the College strives to “shape transformational church leaders” according to its current mission statement, the need for an educated clergy rooted in good theological literature old and new is crucial. Naming a library rich with historic volumes after a respected veteran professor who continues to publish cutting edge essays that make the faith relevant to a changing world is a wise step in that endeavor.
