Bishop Payne Library

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Orthodox Icon, Christ at the Creation of the World

Using the Library

Guides to using the library for students, alumni, and visiting researchers.

Jacob Lawrence, The Library. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Research Guides

We’re here to help. Librarians have created research guides for a variety of topics.

The Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon (Suffragan Bishop of Washington, 1992-2002), The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu (Archbishop of Cape Town, 1986-1996), The Very Rev. Martha Horne (Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary, 1994-2007). C/O of Virginia Theological Seminary

Archives & AAEHC

The Archives and African American Episcopal Historical Collection (AAEHC) are open for research.

Library News

New Display! Private Prayers: Lay Devotion in Tudor England

April 23, 2026


"Private Prayers: Lay Devotion in Tudor England" is a new display right outside the Bishop Payne Library's rare book room. Drawing on materials from both the VTS and GTS collections, it tells the story of sixteenth-century English lay devotion beyond...

Repairing the Aitken Bible

March 25, 2025


In January of 1781, a printer named Robert Aitken submitted a petition to the new U.S. Congress, hoping to garner their support for his endeavor to print the first complete American Bible. During the Revolution, the volume of imported English Bibles...

Bishop Payne Library

Bishop Payne Library

Library Hours
  • Sunday: CLOSED (Fall Break)
  • Monday: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
  • Tuesday: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
  • Wednesday: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
  • Thursday: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
  • Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday: CLOSED (Fall Break)
Address: Mailing: 3737 Seminary Road; Street: 3640 Bishop Walker Circle, Alexandria, VA, US, 22304
Phone: (703) 461-1733 (Circulation Desk)
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
 

Library Hours Calendar 

Regular Semester After-Hours Study Access

Current VTS students, faculty, and staff may use the Library Commons and Reference Room by keycard from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm daily, during the academic term. During after-hours study access, full library services, visitor access, circulation, carrels, conference rooms, and main collection areas are unavailable.

Fall Break Library Schedule

The library is open from 9 am to 5 pm on Thursday and Friday. The library is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Normal fall semester hours resume on Monday. VTS Community members can access the library commons from 9 am to 9 pm every day with their keycards.