James Estes
Librarian, Medievalist, and Game designer in Washington, DC
James Estes, MSLS, PhD, is a librarian, medievalist, and game designer in Washington, DC.
He is a section head in Discovery and Preservation Services at the Library of Congress, where he supervises cataloging and receipt of arts, sciences, and humanities serial publications acquired through U.S. Copyright deposit. Previously he was administrative faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary (in Washington, DC), where he served as theology librarian and director of the library.
As a medievalist and church historian, his teaching specialty is the history of Christian spirituality. His research is focused on early medieval English literature and vernacular theology. He is exploring emerging interests in the study of Western esotericism.
He is a professional roleplaying game (RPG) designer specializing in religion and mythology in world-building and storytelling.
Although not actively engaged in ministry, he is ordained clergy in the United Church of Christ (UCC), where he served primarily in theological education. Prior to his scholarship and theological studies, he worked in clinical counseling, focusing on grief and trauma therapy.