Library

The heart of UTC

The UTC Library is one of the biggest theological libraries in Asia and the biggest in India. The well furnished library building has a built-in area of over 43,000 sq. ft with bright, spacious and airy reading rooms on one side and stacks on the other.

The United Theological College library was renamed after Late Prof. Rev. Dr. E. C. John as “E. C. JOHN LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES” (Former Principal, UTC 1983-1993) during the AGM on 19th August 2022, and the stone tablet was dedicated by The Rt. Rev. Prof. Dr. K. Ruben Mark, President, UTC Society; Presided by Prof. Rev. Dr. Chilkuri Vasantha Rao, Principal; CEO, UTC.

The E. C. John Library and Archives stands as one of the largest theological libraries in Asia and the biggest in India. It continues to fulfil its dual roles as the heart of the institution and as an integral part of the Educational system. It provides resources and services to enhance the research at the United Theological College and in the region at large.

Library Hours & Contact Info

Welcome to our library! Please feel free to reach out for any inquiries. We are here to assist you and ensure you find everything you need. Below are our operational hours:

Monday – Friday : 09.00AM – 11.00 pm
Saturday’s : 09.00AM – 06.00PM
Sunday: Closed

Mr. Prabu P.

Librarian

librarian@utc.edu.in

Library Image Gallery

Collections

S.No	Details	Stack
1.	Books / Monographs	105527
2.	Periodicals / Current & Bound Vols	857
3.	Dailies	08
4.	Archival Documents and Rare Books	More than 80000
5.	Dissertations	3201
Non-Book Materials
6.	E-Books	More than 10000
7.	Microfilm	420
8.	Microfiches	23023
9.	Maps & Charts	160
10.	DVDs/CD-ROM’s	987

E-Resources & Online Databases

S.No	Databases	Particulars
1.	EBSCO Religion and Philosophy E- Books Collection	More than 30,000 e-books related to Religion & Philosophy and Theology
2.	ATLA RDB with Serials	More than 400 full-text journals (current) More than 1.1 million review records More than 294,000 essay records More than 491,000 book records
3.	JSTOR Religion & Theology / Collection with Archival Collections	88 Full-text journals 3,92,000 articles and Complimentary e-books
4.	Global DTL	3,00,000 books Millions of journal articles and Dissertations

Circulation Services

Particulars	Location	Uses
Reference Section I	Ground Floor / Reading Hall	To be referred within the Reference section I Only
Reference Section II	First Floor / Reading Hall	To be referred within the Reference section II Only
Max Mueller Section	First Floor / Reading Hall	Can be borrowed
General Collection Stack I (000-239)	Ground Floor	Can be borrowed
General Collection Stack II (240-294)	First Floor	Can be borrowed
General Collection Stack II (295-999)	Second Floor	Can be borrowed
Back vol. of Periodicals	Third Floor	Can be borrowed on Weekends
Archives	Basement	To be referred to within the Archives section Only

Special Collections

The UTC Archive serves as an invaluable repository of original records, periodicals and microfilm/microfiche that illuminate the history of missions and churches over the past two centuries. In addition to preserving these important documents, efforts are underway to collect treasures housed in archives such as

Martin Luther’s Commentary on the Galatians was printed in Basel in 1523.
Bartholomew Ziegenbalg’s Grammatica Damulica, published in Hale in 1716.
The Biblia Damulica, co-authored by Ziegenbalg and Benjamin Schultze in Tranquebar from 1725 to 1728.
First Printed Bible in Tamil by B. Ziegenbalg in 1726.
Sadhu Sunder Singh Letter in 1918.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Letters in 1935.
The Palm Leaf Collection, which dates back approximately 600 years, features works in Kannada, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Malayalam on a wide range of subjects, including history, poetry, stotras, Puranas, and astrology.

This rich collection not only preserves historical knowledge but also provides insight into the cultural and intellectual heritage of the region.

Library Automation

The College Library is fully automated using NIRMALS (Networked Information Resource Management for Academic Library System) has been installed with the following six main modules for the Library’s in-house operations:

Acquisition System
Cataloguing System
Circulation System
Technical Processing & Serial Control
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue)

Transferring Metadata to Koha Library Management Software and D-Space for the Digital Institutional repository is in progress.

Computers & Internet

The Library provides wired computers in library locations that connect to Library-licensed databases. We also offer Wi-fi on Library premises and remote access to the Library Catalogue and Licensed Databases.

Inter-Library Loan

The United Theological College is one of the pioneer institutions that collaborates with the Joint Library Committee, which connects it to a network of around twenty-one Theological College libraries in Bangalore to Strengthen, Maintain and share resources.

Institutional Membership

Asian Theological Librarians Association (ForATL).
Indian Theological Librarians Association (ITLA).
Joint Library Committee, Bangalore (JLC).

Official Holiday’s

New Year’s Day
Republic Day
Maundy Thursday (after 01.00 PM)
Good Friday and Holy Saturday
May Day
Independence Day
Gandhi Jayanti
Karnataka Rajyotsava Day
Christmas (from 24th December to 01st of January)

Best Practices & Facilities

Web-OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue)
Microfilm & Microfiches
Centralized Printing & Photocopying Facility
Digital Library Unit and Wi-Fi
Research Cubicles
Current Reserve Section
Children Library
Online Databases with Full-text
Inter-Library
Borrowing Facility with 21 Libraries
Turnitin Similarity Check Software
Ecclesiastical Archives
Palm leaves Collection
AACR II
Institutional Repository
Thesis / Dissertation Section

Guidelines for External Users

Proper recommendation letter from a research guide or Institution.
Strict Decorum and Discipline must be maintained in the Library.
Tea/Coffee, edibles, Water bottles, umbrellas, bags, personal belongings and other such articles into the Library. They may be deposited at the property shelve provided at the entrance.
Writing or Underlining in the Library Documents/Books
Documents/Books taken out from the shelves and shelving or replaced.
The Reader/User is fully responsible for the safe return of the Documents/Books.
Photocopying service is available for readers at nominal charges and a maximum of 30 pages in a day. All photocopying must comply with copyright legislation.
The UTC Library is committed to fostering a culture of academic integrity and excellence, we don’t encourage or support plagiarism.