A parish library can do wonders in raising the educational level of a congregation. Parishioners of all ages will find the library a place for reading the best of religious writers, or for checking out a book to be read at home.

Many people who attended General Convention in Philadelphia last July were introduced to the Church and Synagogue Library Association at the organization's exhibit table, where they found a variety of materials useful for providing an efficient library, no matter what size the parish. A church library can hold a wealth of material for Sunday school teachers, students and leaders of study groups. Handbooks, encyclopedias, commentaries, atlases and various versions of the Bible all can be used to enhance Sunday school teaching and learning. Continuing from the classroom, newcomers to the Episcopal Church can find complementary information on their religious heritage, along with information about the worldwide Anglican Communion.

For assembling material to lead discussions about race relations, or other social, moral or family issues; or for finding sources for spiritual growth, style of living, inspiration, enrichment in worship and or strengthening faith, the place to go is the parish library.

Young people especially need a good church library, where they can find stories of dedicated people, faith at work, and adventures in church history. The church library may offer an exciting story of the religious world that is not found in other libraries. Additionally, the library can be a vehicle of evangelism. People who live alone need the encouragement of books or sermon cassettes that can be taken to them. Many decisions and commitments to Christ have grown from a book someone read.

An active church library needs people to make it function properly. Just as the library is open to help parishioners, so parishioners must help the library. Committees and board members are needed to plan the financing, policy and function of the library. Volunteers are needed to help people find books and other materials. Other helpers are needed in selecting, cataloging and processing books. Also, libraries need donors to contribute, perhaps a special but expensive book that is not included in the library budget, or money for special equipment, such as a computer or furniture.

For starting or upgrading a library, many Episcopal volunteer librarians now benefit from support and guidance through their membership in the Church and Synagogue Library Association. For more than 30 years, this ecumenical association has provided its nearly 2,000 members encouragement through its local chapters and national publications. o

Joyce L. White is a volunteer librarian at St. John's Cathedral, Denver, Colo.