Benner Library's 50th Celebration
While a library has been part of Olivet’s campus since its earliest days, the current Benner Library building is celebrating 50 years of scholarship and service.

Join us in celebrating 50 years of Benner Library! Take a fun, self-guided walking tour and discover all the library has to offer. In just about 25 minutes at a steady pace, you’ll explore highlights throughout the building. Stairs are part of the route, but the elevator is always available. At each stop, follow the walking instructions and scan the QR codes (or use the provided links) to unlock special video content along the way!

Faith Formed in Clay: Exhibiting the Foundations of Primitive Methodism.

Faith Formed in Clay exhibits the rise of Primitive Methodism in nineteenth-century Britain as reflected through its representation on pottery. It was an outgrowth of the holiness movement shaped by the everyday lives of potters and labourers in Britain’s industrial Midlands. An evolution within the Methodist theology advanced by John Wesley (1703-1791) in the eighteenth century, Primitive Methodism emerged from camp meetings, unauthorized lay preaching, and the conviction that faith should be accessible to all, regardless of class or background. The two pioneering leaders in the movement were Hugh Bourne (1772-1852) and William Clowes (1780-1851), both of whom had a close connection to the pottery industry, and their images were memorialized on objects of pottery manufacture alongside the early chapels and formative camp meeting sites.
Bringing together objects commemorating and reflecting the rise of Primitive Methodism, Faith Formed in Clay emphasizes the close connection of the movement to the pottery industry and potters themselves. Presenting as they do the portraits of Bourne and Clowes alongside the Mow Cop folly, the objects of this exhibit further reveal the ways in which a deliberate iconography of Primitive Methodism emerged across the Victorian period and was solidified by the centenary of the Mow Cop camp meeting in 1907. The objects here displayed show how Primitive Methodism was not only a force for spiritual revival but also a social force that reshaped working-class life and identity. Like clay shaped by many hands, the faith they built was both resilient and enduring, grounded in the struggles of ordinary people yet reaching towards lasting change to labour organisation in Victorian Britain.

Browse great reads at our Homecoming & Family Weekend Book Sale! Discover a wide selection of gently used books at bargain prices—perfect for students, alumni, families, and friends. Proceeds from the sale support Benner Library’s services and ongoing commitment to scholarship and service within our campus community.

Homecoming Events for 2025

Book Vase Sale
$25 cash per ceramic vase - Purchase at the Circulation Desk (First Floor) - while supplies last

Unwind and read. Bring any book to this informal setting. Our Silent Book Club is a no pressure book club: no reading deadlines or requirements. Just bring a book or e-reader and enjoy an hour of uninterrupted reading! There will be a light snack served.

Puzzle Competition
Put your teamwork and problem-solving skills to the test in our Puzzle Competition! Each team will work on the same 500-piece puzzle and have 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete it. Teams may include up to six people and must pre-register in advance. All team members must be present at the start time — no late starts allowed.

Prizes will be awarded to the top performers — either the team that finishes first or the team with the fewest pieces left when time runs out. Think fast, work together, and see if your team can claim the top spot! Check back for link to register.

Unwind and read. Bring any book to this informal setting. Our Silent Book Club is a no pressure book club: no reading deadlines or requirements. Just bring a book or e-reader and enjoy an hour of uninterrupted reading! There will be a light snack served.

Unwind and read. Bring any book to this informal setting. Our Silent Book Club is a no pressure book club: no reading deadlines or requirements. Just bring a book or e-reader and enjoy an hour of uninterrupted reading! There will be a light snack served.