Located in the Parish House

Our parish is blessed with The Hennage Library, a small (1,400) but carefully chosen collection of faith-based materials. The mission of the Library is to provide books and other media that serve and support the various ministries, organizations, programs, and staff of our parish. The Library is located in the lower level of the Parish House and is open from 9am to 4pm on Friday and daily whenever meetings are not scheduled there. Check the Calendar for availability or call the Parish House (757-229-2891).   

Because there is no librarian, we have provided catalog reports to enable members to find the volumes they are seeking. A listing of books by Title, by Author, or by Subject is available. There is a listing of what subjects are available in the catalog. The documents can be downloaded. They are in PDF format, and using a PDF viewer with "search" capabilities work best (i.e. Adobe Reader, etc.). Printed copies are also available to use in the library.

Books are located on the shelves using their call number, based on the Dewey Classification System. Recent additions are often found on the New Books shelves.

There are some collections that need to be accessed with the assistance of one of the members of the Library Committee. These include a collection of DVDs. The library also has on CDs the entire Bible read by notable personalities. A listing of the audio visual, CDs and DVDs available can be found here.

There is also a Special Collection of rare books that, while they may not be checked out, may be read in the comfort and quiet of the Library (by Title, by Author, or by Subject). To access any of these resources, please send us an email to coordinate.

How to use the Library

• Reference Books are to be used only in the Library.
• All books are to be signed out in the Sign Out Register found in the Library. 
• When books are returned, the register should again be used to sign the items back in, and the books placed in the return bin inside the library.
• Books may be borrowed for a period of 30 days.
• We thank you for helping us to take care of this wonderful resource so that all may enjoy it.

Recent Acquisitions can be found here.

Hennage Library Resources for Bruton Guides

An annotated bibliography of books of special interest to Bruton guides can be found here.

Adopt A Book

If you would like to remember or honor a family member or friend, consider the Adopt-A-Book program to donate a book to Bruton Parish’s Hennage Library. Some Bruton committees recognize the contributions of retiring committee chairs in this way. You may suggest a suitable book. As with any book donated to the library, it will be reviewed by the committee for consideration. If preferred, you can describe the individual you wish to honor and the Library Committee will seek a suitable book and review the choice with you. The Library Committee will purchase the book at the best available price and let you know the cost. A check can be written to Bruton Parish Episcopal Church and given to the comptroller with a notation of its purpose. The committee will add a nameplate indicating the person being honored and the donating person or group, if desired. The book is then catalogued and placed on the new acquisitions shelves in the library for parishioners’ enjoyment and education.  Please send an email to library@brutonparish.org to let us know of your interest.

Guild of Bruton Authors

The James C. Livingston Guild of Bruton Authors was established in 2012 to honor the legacy of James C. Livingston, late professor of religion at The College of William and Mary and a widely-respected author. Bruton parishioners who have authored one or more published books may be elected to the Guild by the Library Committee, and there are now over 40 members. Each year the Committee invites nominations, with a November 1 deadline, and new members are announced at the end of the year. The nomination form is available online (click HERE to access the form) and may be sent to the Library Committee at authorsguild@brutonparish.org or placed in the Library Committee box in the Parish House.