24 replies to this topic

[Matthew Burgess]

However, I am a little perplexed by your comment on not being able to recommend Accordance because of the lack of these resources (specifically NOAB and HarperCollins SB)…does that mean you don't recommend any Bible software to your students? These titles are not available any Bible software platform.

Hi Rick,

That's correct... I don't normally recommend any Bible software to my undergraduate students (with the significant exception of some experienced upper-level undergraduates and those involved in language study). Many undergraduates begin their collegiate careers without much experience in reading the Bible or a significant level of biblical literacy, which is why NOAB and HCSB are assigned in so many introductory survey courses... the introductions and notes assist them as they discover different critical approaches to the study of the Bible. The majority of students in these types of courses aren't going to major in religious studies, and Bible software packages represent a particularly weighty financial investment on their part. In light of these facts, if the study Bibles that they are required to use for their primary readings aren't available with a particular software package, then I can't really encourage most of them to buy it, whatever it is. However, I should reiterate that I do recommend Accordance to everyone in upper-level seminars or language courses.

In my mind, adding NOAB and HCSB would be particularly advantageous for Accordance because they possess the potential to open up a new demographic of users that remains relatively untapped. Given Accordance's accessible interface and powerful search capabilities, as well as the variety of competitively priced packages, I would recommend that all of my students consider buying a package of some kind and pairing it with one of these study Bibles if they were available. I think that the advantages of the program would make the biblical text more accessible to them in many ways, and would lead to better research on their part.

[Rick Bennett]

Hi Rick,

That's correct... I don't normally recommend any Bible software to my undergraduate students (with the significant exception of some experienced upper-level undergraduates and those involved in language study). Many undergraduates begin their collegiate careers without much experience in reading the Bible or a significant level of biblical literacy, which is why NOAB and HCSB are assigned in so many introductory survey courses... the introductions and notes assist them as they discover different critical approaches to the study of the Bible. The majority of students in these types of courses aren't going to major in religious studies, and Bible software packages represent a particularly weighty financial investment on their part. In light of these facts, if the study Bibles that they are required to use for their primary readings aren't available with a particular software package, then I can't really encourage most of them to buy it, whatever it is. However, I should reiterate that I do recommend Accordance to everyone in upper-level seminars or language courses.

In my mind, adding NOAB and HCSB would be particularly advantageous for Accordance because they possess the potential to open up a new demographic of users that remains relatively untapped. Given Accordance's accessible interface and powerful search capabilities, as well as the variety of competitively priced packages, I would recommend that all of my students consider buying a package of some kind and pairing it with one of these study Bibles if they were available. I think that the advantages of the program would make the biblical text more accessible to them in many ways, and would lead to better research on their part.

Thanks for the clarification Matthew; I definitely see where you're coming from. On a more general note, though, we are striving to attract users of any stripe - whether those who major in religion or not, but are interested in digging deeper in to the text. And, we have several entry-level price points (and a free iOS app as you no doubt know) aimed at this goal.

And, everyone, please keep in mind publisher negotiations are often very laborious processes that involve many levels of discussion, and the end result is not always mutually beneficial. With this recent surge in requests I can say that we are looking into these titles.

Thanks for the feedback.

[DWFrancis]

NOAB is now available for Wordsearch. I was kind of surprised to see it there but it is there. Tim

That is a surprise….I rarely use this, just basically now and then to use the original Interpreter's Bible, which works very badly on the iPAD but this is nice to know but i think I will wait to hope it comes sooner than later to accordance.

-Dan

[twbeining]

Dan,

Like you I have Wordsearch but rarely if ever use it any anylonger. I bought Accordance especially to replace WS and Logos. Also like you I will not get the NOAB from them. I too will hang in and hope that it comes to Accordance.


Tim

[Greg Terry]

With this recent surge in requests I can say that we are looking into these titles.

Thanks for the feedback.

Rick,

That is one of the many great things about Accordance: the voice of the user is heard. We really appreciate that a whole bunch!