Richard “Bo” Manly Adams, Jr.

Trained as a New Testament scholar, a software developer, and a librarian, Dr. Richard Manly Adams, Jr.—known as “Bo” to his colleagues—directs the collections, staff, and vision of Candler’s Pitts Theology Library, one of the premier theological libraries in North America.

Adams also teaches courses at Candler focused primarily on research methods, the history of reading practices, and the changing tools of ministry in the digital age. His research and teaching interests are in understanding reading communities, reading technologies, and reading practices, both ancient and modern.

He is on the editorial board of Theological Librarianship at the American Theological Library Association, and is a member of the American Library Association and the Society of Biblical Literature.

CHAPTERS AND ARTICLES

“Overcoming Disintermediation: A Call for Librarians to Learn to Use Web Service APIs,” Library Hi Tech, vol. 36, no. 1, January 2018

“Review of David A. deSilva, Galatians: A Handbook on the Greek Text,” in Review of Biblical Literature, 2017

“Review of Alma C. Ortega, Academic Libraries and Toxic Leadership,” in Theological Librarianship, vol.12, no.1, October 2017

“‘When the Time Comes to Make Use of Them, They Don’t Know How to Handle Them’: Lucian’s Ignorant Book Collector and the Theological Librarian,” in Reading for Faith and Learning: Essays on Scripture, Community, and Libraries in Honor of M. Patrick Graham, Abilene Christian University Press, 2017

Co-author, Supporting the Changing Research Practices of Religious Studies Scholars, Ithaka S+R, February 08, 2017

“Which Should We Buy? Reconsidering Best Practices in the Purchase of Print versus Electronic Books in Theological Libraries,” in Summary of Proceedings: Seventieth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association, American Theological Library Association, June 15, 2016

“I Use Wikipedia and You Should Too: An Argument for Wikipedia as a Tool of Pedagogy and Research in Theological Librarianship,” in Summary of Proceedings: Sixty-Ninth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association, American Theological Library Association, June 15, 2015

“John 6:22-29, Exegetical Perspective,” “John 6:30-40, Exegetical Perspective,” and “John 6:41-51, Exegetical Perspective,”in Feasting on the Gospels: John, Volume 1: A Feasting on the Word Commentary, Westminster John Knox Press, March 19, 2015

“Preserving and Sharing the Meditations of Howard Thurman: Digitization and Transcription of Audio Archives at the Pitts Theology Library,” in Summary of Proceedings: Sixty-Eighth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association. American Theological Library Association, June 15, 2014

“John 14:15-21, Exegetical Perspective,” “Luke 24:44-53, Exegetical Perspective,” and “John 17:1-11, Exegetical Perspective.” in Feasting on the Word: A Lectionary Commentary Series, Year A, Volume 2, Westminster John Knox Press, October 12, 2010

University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies Student Paper Award, 2016: “Erasmus of Rotterdam and The Development of ‘The Book'”

Kate Ragsdale Memorial Scholarship, The University of Alabama, 2014-2016

Emory University Center for Faculty Development and Excellent, Mini Grant, January 2014

Arts and Sciences Fellowship, Emory University, 2006-2011

Boone M. Bowen Award for Biblical Hebrew, Candler School of Theology, 2005

Demigods: Technology in/of/and the Bible (Hybrid)

Hacking Ministry: The Work of the Church in a Digital Age

MTS Research and Methods: Scripture, History, and Tradition

New Testament Greek

Paul’s Pastoral Epistles (Online)

Research Methods: Learning to Read: A Consideration of the Development of Habits, Communities and Technologies of Reading

The Arts of Ministry in a Digital Age