Bibles

There are so many transaltions of the bible.
How many should a library have?
Is it unreasonalbe to have a collection of various transaltions? Or would I be better off securing all the same type. These would be used in adult study groups and I find it very interesting if people are reading from various translations.
We currently have many old old copies of the NIV and I would like to replace them with something that doesn't look 50 years old. But what to do with the old ones.

Would appreciate any suggestions or comments. Thanks

If you can afford it, I would suggest doing both. For some types of Bible study it's preferable to have everyone reading the same translation, so I'd get multiple copies of whatever translation the pastor would prefer to have study groups using. But I would definitely add single copies of as many translations as you can for other types of study. As you say, it can be very interesting for a group to study a passage in different translations. As a Sunday School teacher I have often done a lesson like that with the kids, and it would have been great if I had had access to all those translations in a church library rather than having to cart 10 or 12 Bibles from home! Having access to multiple translations in the church library might also be helpful to parishioners who are trying to decide on a translation.

I'm with betsytacy. Both is the answer for both types of study and researching.

Personally, I get the most out The Message even though it is a paraphrase. Its up-to-date idiomatic expressions bring the Bible to life for me.

I get donations of many older Bibles, or devotionals that are not really "library books." For instance, a one-year devotional, meant for personal use. I made a space on our literature rack outside, but close to, the library. I put a sign up that said, Free, please take and read. The books go like crazy. (I don't put out to many at a time.) You could do that with your older Bibles; there are also many charities that would take Bible donations, I'm sure.

P.S. A retired pastor I know assured me that Peterson's translation of the Message is right on...

For study, it helps to have as many versions as possible but I try to limit to one copy each. The church has a stack of Bibles for Bible study groups in 2 or 3 different versions which are not part of the library.