The faculty and staff of the Lamar Memorial Library welcome you.  We are here for you!

The library is part of an integrated information infrastructure that consists of the Library, Instructional Technology, and Information Technology departments.  Together, these departments provide computing and information resources and services that are central to the mission and educational goals of Maryville College.

In its commitment to service, the library provides resources and services designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity and to encourage and teach the use of information.

McQuest, the integrated library system, provides a gateway to materials held in the library, to the library’s electronic resources, to materials designed by librarians in support of classroom instruction, and to resources available through the Internet.  The collection of approximately 128,000 volumes, complemented by online books and journals, electronic databases by title or subject, and interlibrary services, strives to be current and suited to the research expected of Maryville College students.  In cooperation with the faculty, librarians create a carefully selected collection that supports the college’s rigorous curriculum and reflects a diversity of viewpoints and modes of inquiry.

The spacious, relaxed atmosphere of the library in historic Thaw Hall provides varied research and study areas, including individual study carrels and group study rooms, all of which are wired for access to the campus network and the Internet.  Students also have access to word processing, spreadsheet, and other productivity applications in the computer lab located in the Library.  In a world of networked information, the library remains committed to providing a physical space that is inviting and user-oriented and that accommodates individual study, collaborative learning, and the building of a community of learning.  

The library maintains a highly qualified staff that is responsive to individual needs and committed to the highest standards of quality in librarianship and information services.  Reference librarians are available during all hours of service and via email to work with students to formulate information needs, identify sources, and assist in their use.  Librarians and teaching faculty are partners in the educational process.  Information skills are taught across the curriculum with special emphasis during the freshman year.  Through individual attention and class instruction, librarians help students develop skills for locating and evaluating information that will serve them in completing independent research and in a lifetime of learning.

The college has a robust and active campus network.  All classrooms, offices, and residence hall rooms have network connections.  Every student is given a network account and is eligible to use the computer lab in the Library.  A student's network connection provides him or her with access to the Internet, network file storage, and printing.  Students who bring a computer equipped with an appropriate Ethernet card can connect to the Maryville College network in their residence hall rooms.  Such a computer must meet current minimum specifications as determined by the Information Technology department. 

Technology for teaching and learning is an integral part of the curriculum at Maryville College. Faculty members incorporate a variety of technologies into the teaching and learning experience. Many courses are taught in one of 18 multimedia-capable classrooms and a number of academic departments have discipline-specific computer labs specifically equipped to meet the learning requirements of students in that academic program. Other classes are taught in laptop-equipped classrooms and labs, which encourage students to enhance existing computer skills and acquire new ones. Supplemental course websites and on-line submission of written work are common through both email and through our virtual learning portal accessed over the Internet, known as Blackboard. The Maryville College teaching and learning experience is enhanced greatly by the effective use of technology, while remaining true to the traditional, liberal arts curriculum and philosophy.