The Sacred Heart Library Service was originally initiated as the Theological Library Service at St. John's Provisional Seminary in Plymouth Michigan in the 1970's. The goal was, and is to provide access to a unique and substantial collection for those not associated with Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Now, more than ever, the Edmund Cardinal Szoka Library offers patrons a unique and satisfying research experience. Since 1988, the Cardinal Szoka Library Theological Collection has been servicing a variety of clientele: students, faculty, Catholic and Protestant clergy, Directors of Religious Education, parish members, scholars, and others interested in religious matters. Carefully developed over several decades, the theology collection has a Roman Catholic focus, but also offers source material that is ecumenical in scope.
The library holdings include 115,000 books, over 17,600 bound periodicals, over 500 journal subscriptions, an audio and video cassette collection, and a series of CD-ROM and on-line sources making the library the largest theological collection in the state of Michigan. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary curriculum, the Library also serves an extended community of clergy, parishes, archdiocesan staff, and religious scholars throughout Metropolitan Detroit.
The library collections at Sacred Heart Major Seminary have a long and rich history. The original collection began in 1921 with the building of SHMS. In 1988, St. John's Provincial Seminary was closed; and the graduate theology program and library were moved to Sacred Heart. 