William Badke, MTh
Bill lives in the most fabulous part of the BC Lower Mainland, the city of Mission, with his wife Rosemary. He has two grown sons. Bill attends North Valley Baptist Church. As a leader within the worldwide information literacy movement, he has taught research courses to numerous students and published a large volume of books and articles on information literacy. He is currently the ACTS librarian.
How does the Bible inform your life and teaching?
I teach students to develop their research skills. As creations of God, we have minds that correspond to God's so that he can communicate with us and vice versa. We are also called to pursue the truth and live an evidence-based life so we can provide the reasons for our faith. I guide my students to seek the best evidence to resolve life's problems through research.
Why do you value a theological education?
Our graduates are key leaders in advancing the gospel and building the church. So theological education is both strategic and essential.
What are some of the diverse voices you incorporate into your teaching?
In my field, I need to incorporate the best thinking from a multitude of sources, some of them congruent with my faith and some not.
What do you hope your students get out of your classes?
I want them to become keen researchers who can navigate the information landscape and seek truth.
Why are you at ACTS Seminaries?
ACTS is a unique model, both of interdenominational cooperation and of its ministry-oriented curriculum and faculty.
POSITIONS HELD
Associate Librarian
Trinity Western University for Associated Canadian Theological Schools and Information Literacy
2000-Present
Librarian and Associate Professor
Associated Canadian Theological Schools and Northwest Baptist College
1988-1999
Librarian,
Northwest Baptist College/Northwest Baptist Seminary
1982-1988
Instructor
Qua Iboe Church Bible College, Abak, Nigeria
1979-1981
PUBLICATIONS
Select Non-Fiction Books
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Meaning of Everything. Kregel Publications,
2005.
Teaching Research Processes: The Faculty Role in the Development of Skilled Student Researchers, 2nd ed. En Route Books and Media, 2021.
Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog, 7th ed. iUniverse.com, 2021.
Novels
The Search. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1995; Thorndike, Maine: Thorndike Press, 1999.
Saluso’s Game. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1996; Thorndike, Maine: Thorndike Press, June 2000.
Avenger. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997; Thorndike, Maine: Thorndike
Press, 2000.
Recent Academic Articles
Farrell, Robert and Badke, William. "Situating Information Literacy in the Disciplines: A Practical and Systematic Approach for Librarians." Reference Services Review 43, no.2 (2015): 319-340. [Draft of final submitted manuscript available: http://academicworks.cuny.edu/le_pubs/78/
"Fake News, Confirmation Bias, the Search for Truth, and the Theology Student." Theological Librarianship 11, no. 2 (October 2018): 4-7. https://theolib.atla.com/theolib/article/view/519/1717.
"Reading to Write: Using Disciplinary Expertise and Source Reading with the ACRL Framework to Enhance the Conceptual Depth of Writing Students." In Information Literacy and Writing Studies, vol. 2, Upper-Level and Graduate Courses. (Purdue Information Literacy Handbooks). Ed. Grace Veach, 135-146. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2019.
"Framing Information Literacy within the Disciplines of Theological Education." In Information Literacy and Theological Librarianship: Theory and Praxis. Ed. Bobby L. Smiley, 59-82. Chicago: Atla Press, 2019. Available open access: https://books.atla.com/atlapress/catalog/book/33.
He has been a columnist for Online Searcher Magazine since 2007.
AWARDS
2016 - Article: Farrell, Robert and Badke, William. "Situating Information Literacy in the Disciplines: A Practical and Systematic Approach for Librarians." Reference Services Review 43, no.2 (2015): 319-340, voted one of the top 20 articles in library instruction for 2015 by the Library Instruction Round Table of the American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/lirt/sites/ala.org.lirt/files/content/archive/2016jun.pdf
2016 - Book Chapter: "Expertise and Authority in an Age of Crowdsourcing," in Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think about Information. Ed. Troy Swanson; Heather Jagman. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015 (http://williambadke.com/BadkeExpertiseAuthority.pdf) included
in the volume that won the Irene F. Rockman Instruction Publication of the Year
award for 2016. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/02/jagman-and-swanson-receive-2016-acrl-instruction-section-ilene-f-rockman
Education
BA - University of British Columbia
MLS - University of British Columbia
MDiv - Northwest Baptist Seminary
MTh - Northwest Baptist Seminary
Research
Information Literacy (the development of skilled researchers)
Memberships:
CAPAL (Canadian Association of Professional Librarians)
American Theological Library Association
American Library Association
Association of College and Research Libraries