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McFarlin Library at a Glance: Home

Message from the Dean

For nearly one hundred years, McFarlin Library has provided books, journals, and other documents to help students in their class projects and to support faculty-directed research. The McFarlin Library also is a place that students congregate, study, and transform into young scholars who pursue a wide spectrum of careers once they leave TU. The world has changed and continues to change from the library’s founding during the height of the Great Depression.

The library of today still has stacks with literally thousands of feet of books on shelves. In the digital age, however, the model for a successful academic library has changed. Traditional physical resources now are complimented by ever-growing digital resources that bring information from around the world to our campus via computers. For the last few decades, the challenge for libraries was providing access to these expanding databases. Today, access is a ‘given’. The current challenge is helping students and faculty navigate the seemingly endless range of available information sources and databases.

The costs allotted to acquiring resources also is changing. While McFarlin continues to buy books recommended by faculty, the larger fraction of expense purchases the rights to use electronic resources. Simply stated, the library doesn’t own electronic resources, we rent them, usually for one to three years. While that model allows us to adjust our purchases to address current needs, it also means that there is a significant continuing cost for maintaining electronic resources.

The challenge for McFarlin Library and its staff is to critically examine and adapt to trends, needs, and expectations for the TU community. We have established four pillars of support to continuously improve our service to the TU community.

The four pillars are:

1.) Service enhancement

2.) Resource accessibility 

3.) Modernized library spaces 

4.) Awareness and outreach.

Each pillar supports TU’s Strategic Plan and will guide the continuing evolution of McFarlin Library as the intellectual hub of the campus.

Mission

To empower our academic community with accessible resources, inclusive spaces, and personalized support, fostering critical thinking, information literacy, and lifelong learning in alignment with our institution's goals.

Vision

To be a dynamic hub of knowledge and innovation, inspiring academic success and lifelong learning by adapting to the evolving needs of our community and advancing inclusive access to resources and information.

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