Welcome to Holy Family University's library system. We have two libraries: the main library on the Northeast Philadelphia campus, and a branch library at Newtown called the Learning Resource Center (LRC). The staff members of both libraries are pleased to bring you a wide variety of resources and services targeted to your learning needs.

Visit the Family Cat library catalog to find the latest books, DVDs, and other materials on our shelves. Click on Research Databases to get online journal articles and electronic books on a spectrum of topics. Library Forms enable you to request materials from other libraries or email us a question. And we have many other useful webpages: Web Resources, Services and Policies, Library Handouts, and Library Hours, to name a few.

"We're drowning in information and starving for knowledge," said Yale librarian Rutherford Rogers in 1985. This paradox is truer today than ever, in an era of websites, blogs, podcasts, and other new media springing up on every side. How do I begin looking for information? How reliable is the information I'm finding? Is the source an authority in the field? These questions point to the crucial role of the library. Our librarians are here to guide you as you learn the art of seeking, assessing, and using information -- not just to fulfill your classroom assignments, but to develop the skills you'll need to be a wise information consumer for a lifetime. Welcome to the journey!

Yours, Lori A. Schwabenbauer, MSLS Director of Library Services Lschwaben@holyfamily.edu

The Northeast Philadelphia Library and Newtown Learning Resource Center support education in liberal arts and professions at Holy Family University by providing in-depth instruction in information skills to our students, collecting and managing appropriate research resources, and offering related services to the university community. The library staff of Holy Family University is guided by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, affirms the values of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and gives witness to the dignity of each person and the oneness of the human family. The libraries support the education of students to assume life-long responsibilities towards God, society, and self.

The following core values inform the university Library and LRC as they seek to carry out their mission.

FAMILY. The Library and LRC welcome and care for students, faculty, and staff as members of a diverse but interconnected family, promoting an atmosphere of mutual concern and attention particularly to the intellectual needs of all those whom they serve.

RESPECT. The Library and LRC affirm the dignity of the human person by making available information from multiple points of view, offering personalized attention, and engaging in collaborative dialogue with all members of the university community. By collecting resources from various standpoints, the Library and LRC seek to instill appreciation of and respect for differences so that the university’s graduates can function successfully in multicultural contexts.

INTEGRITY. Intent upon forming persons of integrity who recognize the importance of lifelong learning, the Library and LRC support and advocate free and conscientious pursuit of truth and the responsible use of knowledge. By coordinating with university faculty to teach information literacy skills, the Library and LRC foster lifelong learning for all students; by providing equal and unbiased access to information for all students at the university, the Library and LRC uphold an ethical model of librarianship.

SERVICE AND RESPONSIBILITY. The Library and LRC embrace the university motto, Teneor votis ("I am bound by my responsibilities"). By providing students with research skills and experiences that link theory with practice in the search for information, members of the Library and LRC staff fulfill human needs and model faithfulness to personal responsibilities. In so doing, Library and LRC staff members educate students to become competent professionals and responsible citizens.

LEARNING. The Library and LRC help to instill in students a passion for truth and a commitment to seeking wisdom. Staff members promote creative scholarship and informed, imaginative use of research and technology. Through teaching information skills and facilitating research, the Library and LRC seek to strengthen ethical, logical, and creative thinking; to develop effective communication skills; to nurture an aesthetic sense; and to deepen global, social, and historical awareness.

VISION. The Library and LRC envision learning and information management as a dynamic and fruitful exchange between traditional sources of wisdom and contemporary developments in knowledge. The Library and LRC support a university education grounded in a Judeo-Christian worldview that serves as a foundation upon which to address contemporary problems and to build a vision for the future.

To demonstrate their commitment to these values, Library and LRC staff members pledge to:

• Recruit and retain a team of highly qualified, effective staff members who proactively strive to meet user needs, foster a friendly and respectful atmosphere, and continually update their knowledge and skills.
• Organize, store, exhibit, and publicize materials in ways that will best facilitate their efficient use, security, and preservation. Materials will be collected in appropriate formats and in the quantity, depth, and diversity needed to support assignments and research in the subject areas of the university curriculum. Long-distance access to materials and information will be facilitated wherever possible.
• Guide library users in the identification, retrieval, interpretation, evaluation, and use of library materials and information in all formats. This guidance will extend from assistance with individual research to support of a coordinated information literacy program to foster lifelong learning skills in all students.
• Prepare for changes in information and the university environment by continually evaluating collections and services, working to update and integrate the best and most appropriate new technologies and information resources into the library setting. In this endeavor, the Library and LRC staff will partner with faculty members and the rest of the university community to contribute to improvements in university educational outcomes and library user satisfaction.
• Form and maintain cooperative ties with other institutions whose goals are compatible with our vision for library service.
• Preserve and provide access to official records and other archives of the university.
• The Library and LRC staff of Holy Family University recognize the library as a campus gateway to global information, an intellectual, cultural, and informational center, and a bridge to distance learning. To help empower students and produce leaders for the information age, Library and LRC staff will promote library resources, services, and programming, and will teach each student to appreciate the value of a library for lifelong self-education.