Harding University will dedicate its new Rogers Theological Library Tuesday, September 22, at 4 PM during the university’s annual Inspire Lectureship.
The new $9 million facility is part of a period of growth for Harding School of Theology following its 2024 move to the Searcy campus after more than 70 years in Memphis.
Harding says enrollment at the School of Theology has nearly doubled since the move, while new faculty members and additional initiatives have expanded the school’s reach.
The Rogers Theological Library is designed to serve ministers, scholars, church leaders and students for years to come.
Harding University President Dr. Mike Williams described the library as the result of years of work focused on faith, academic quality and biblical scholarship.
The library is named in honor of Oliver and Norma Rogers, whose lives have been dedicated to Christian service and education.
Oliver Rogers began his theological studies at Harding in the 1950s and earned a Master of Arts degree in 1955. He later served as minister of the North Central Church of Christ in Bloomington, Indiana, from 1969 until 1996.
Norma Rogers, also a 1955 Harding graduate, is described by the university as a devoted Christian and biblical scholar.
The Rogers family made a gift to name the new library in honor of Oliver and Norma and their lifetime of service.
The library is open to the public and contains more than 138,000 volumes.
It also houses the Meredith Restoration History Archive, which is preserved in a climate-controlled space.
Another featured collection is the Jack and Annie May Alston Lewis Biblical Studies Collection.
Harding says Annie May Alston Lewis served as the first theological librarian in the Churches of Christ, while her husband, Jack P. Lewis, was a noted biblical scholar and professor at Harding School of Theology.
The university says the new library can be used by ministers and biblical scholars from across the country for academic research, sermon preparation and other theological study.
The dedication ceremony for the Rogers Theological Library will be held September 22 at 4 PM during Harding University’s annual Inspire Lectureship in Searcy.
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