OPAL Network - Online Publications & Academic Library Network

Lee University's librarians have assisted international schools with library resources and services for many decades. Frances Arrington and Barbara McCullough each traveled to numerous locations to help Church of God Bible colleges and schools set up their libraries, as well as to catalog books for their collections. Dr. James M. Beaty, professor emeritus at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, has collected thousands of books through the years for libraries at international schools. As library director in the 1980s, Frances Arrington desired to create a central library serving all Church of God schools. However, technology limitations at that time prohibited that project. Former Lee University President Dr. Paul Conn and Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, in her role as VP for Academics, often collaborated with library personnel to provide limited library services to international schools. As more resources became available through online databases, strict contract agreements with database vendors eventually made this service impossible. Still, the need for library access remained significant among international schools. As chancellor for the Church of God Division of Education, Dr. Mike Baker has envisioned a global library network for ministerial development. In 2021, Lee University President Dr. Mark Walker, Provost Dr. Debbie Bilbo Murray, and Library Director Dr. Louis F. Morgan initiated The OPAL Network (Online Publications & Academic Library Network) to help provide academic resources for ministerial development at select international Bible colleges and schools affiliated with our institutions.