School of Theology Catalog 2021

Educational Resources
The Knott Library
St. Mary’s Seminary & University’s library
traces its roots back to the collection of theological
and philosophical works that the
members of the Society of St. Sulpice brought
with them from Paris in 1791. Today the
Marion and Henry J. Knott Library of St.
Mary’s Seminary & University has a collection
numbering over 140,000 volumes. The collection
is primarily of a philosophical and
theological nature; approximately 20% of the
collection is in foreign languages, including a
substantial rare books collection. The library
also provides extensive access to e-books and
databases with full text articles.
The Knott Library is completely automated,
and library patrons enjoy ease of access to the
full collection, as well as to the world-wide
web through public access computer stations.
The fiber optic network extending through
the entire seminary complex grants this same
access to all seminarians and faculty from
their rooms and offices. Reciprocal borrowing
arrangements for students and faculty exist
with Loyola/Notre Dame Library and the
Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins
University, and on a wider scale through the
libraries of the Maryland Independent
College and University Association, the
Baltimore Academic Library Consortium,
and OCLC.
In 2002 the Knott Library was expanded,
creating the Raymond E. Brown Center,
named after the late Rev. Raymond E. Brown,
P.S.S., alumnus and former faculty member of
St. Mary’s, one of the 20th century’s premier
Catholic biblical scholars. The Raymond E.
Brown Center includes Fr. Brown’s own
research collection on the Gospel of John,
general stacks, and five classrooms.
An area attached to the main stacks of the
Knott Library was dedicated in Spring, 2006,
as the John Paul II Reading Room, housing
objects of art suggestive of the great contemporary
Holy Father, particularly highlighting
his groundbreaking efforts in the area of
Christian-Jewish dialogue. This mediaenabled
room can be used for study, small
gatherings, and specialized lectures in the
spirit of Saint John Paul II and in recognition
of his legacy to the Church and the world.
The library assets housed in its shelves are
dedicated collections reflecting its ambience,
containing all the writings of Karol Wojtyła
and John Paul II, as well as secondary works
of biography and study regarding the many
facets of his thought, teaching, and pontificate.
It also houses basic holdings regarding
Christian-Jewish dialogue, Holocaust studies,
and works highlighting the role of Righteous
Gentiles during the Shoah.
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