In a world where Googling is a verb and millions of bits of knowledge – useful and otherwise – can be researched from the palm of one’s hand, it might seem the traditional library’s purpose has run its course. But in the 21st century, libraries are more than simply a storehouse for information. They are dynamic hubs of research activity and group projects. The Thrift Library at Anderson University is proud to assist students in continuing the learning process outside the classroom.
More Than Books
The library houses 100,000 physical volumes, but that’s only part of the story. Its fast-growing online collection contains over half a million e-books, hundreds of thousands of streaming audio and video recordings, and millions of articles from more than 40,000 periodicals.
Learning to Research
The Thrift Library is also a place where students learn how to do research, a task its librarians take to heart. AU subscribes to more than 200 scholarly databases, which have been vetted for reliability. Most of these can be searched at the same time using OneSearch, the library’s discovery service.
Anderson University also publishes hundreds of research guides, which compile reliable information sources (along with instructions on how to use them). Students can reference them when working on papers or projects. Accessed through this website, these guides cover academic majors as well as specific classes. If you have a specific question: “How to cite a source? How to start researching? How to use a particular database? – the answer is already waiting in one of the library’s research guides.
Special Collections
The Anderson University Special Collections preserve history for current and future generations and can be found at the Thrift Library. They include collections for former AU president Dr. Annie Dove Denmark, South Carolina’s first female college president; Johnny Mann, a Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger, and friend of AU; and Manse Jolly, a Confederate Army soldier and Anderson native.
Where We Are and When We’re Open
The Thrift Library is on the “left” side of campus along Kingsley Road, next to the Rainey Fine Arts Center. Hours during the spring and fall semesters are as follows:
Sunday: 3 p.m.-midnight
Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – midnight
Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hours vary during exams, holidays and the summer, but a librarian is on duty at all times the library is open (and digital resources are available 24 hours a day). Students may check out up to 20 items at a time. Books can be checked out for three weeks and are renewable until the end of the semester.
Opened in 2007, and renovated in 2017 to include a Learning Commons, the Thrift Library is named for the families of South Carolina construction executives Samuel F. and Thomas E. Thrift, who have both served as AU trustees. The library is part of the 53,000-square-foot Thrift Building, which includes the Chapman Multimedia Room, Chapman Conference Room, Vandiver Art Gallery, Bunton Computer Lab, David Larson McPhillips Center for Student Success, Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence, Center for Innovation and Digital Learning, Hopkins Special Collections, Music Technology Lab, Pracht Seminar Room, Writing Center and McClellion Café (Books & Beans).