The Paul Barret, Jr. Library

THE PAUL BARRET, JR. LIBRARY

Darlene Brooks. Director of the Barret Library. B.A., M.L.I.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
William Short. Associate Director of Library Services. B.A., Rhodes College; M.L.S., George Peabody College. 
Janet Carr James. Acquisitions Librarian. B.A., Rhodes College; M.S.L.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Janice Tankersley. Head of Cataloging. B.A., M.S., University of Memphis; M.S.L.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Elizabeth E. Gates. Archivist/Special Collections Librarian. B.A., M.L.S., University of Rhode Island.
Kenan C. Padgett. Interlibrary Loan Librarian. B.A., Elon College; M.L.S. University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Rachel Feinman. Catalog and Collection Development Librarian. B.S., M.L.S., Florida State University.
Amanda Ford. Head of Circulation. B.A., Mississippi State University.
Greg Paraham. Information Services Librarian. B.A., University of Memphis; M.L.S., Louisiana State University.
Nikki Rech. Information Services Librarian. B.S. Bethel College; M.L.S., University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Phyllis Gregory. Periodicals Manager. B.S., University of Memphis.

In June, 2011, the collection included 300,263 volumes, 1,122 print periodical subscriptions, 64,063 electronic books, over 27,000 full text journals through licensed databases, 102,000 microfilm/microfiche items and 12,000 audio visual items including audiobooks, phonodiscs, compact discs, DVDs and videotapes. Information about the library’s holdings is accessible via the Internet. The collection is supplemented by online access to the following, including but not limited to, America: History & Life, Annual Stock Reports, Bibliography of the History of Art, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, ECCO, EEBO, MathSciNet, ProQuest Research Edition, the MLA Bibliography, PsycInfo, LEXIS-NEXIS (Academic, Statistical, Congressional, and Environmental), Slavery and Anti-Slavery, ProQuest Religious Periodicals Database, Philosopher’s Index, Newsbank, Sociological Abstracts, ERIC, WilsonOmniFile, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, and EconLit. Access is also provided to BioOne, Project Muse and JSTOR electronic journal collections. The library staff is concerned not only with the acquisition, organization, and circulation of the collection, but in providing reference and technology assistance to users, as well as instruction to classes and individuals in effective information literacy.

The Library’s collection has been carefully built over a period of years by both the teaching faculty and the library staff to include materials that constitute valuable resources for undergraduate instruction in a liberal arts institution. In addition to the reference and circulating collections there are four special collections: the Rhodes Archives, the Richard Halliburton Collection, the Shelby Foote Collection and the Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. Rare Book Collection. The Rhodes Archives consists of publications about Rhodes of an historical nature as well as student honors papers and books written by faculty and alumni. DLynx, the Archives digital repository, includes over 10,000 pieces of material. The Sou’wester, the student newspaper, has been digitized from November 1919 to the present date. The Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. Rare Book Collection includes the special items of value added to the library through the years and the collection of first editions of English and American authors, many of them autographed, donated by Mr. Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. The Halliburton Collection consists of manuscripts and artifacts relating to the life of this noted travel adventure writer.

Barret Library, a state-of-the-art facility made possible by a major gift from the Paul Barret, Jr. Trust, opened in August, 2005. Paul Barret, Jr., a graduate of the class of 1946 who died in 1999, was the nephew of Mr. and Mrs. A.K. Burrow, who provided for the construction of the 1953 Burrow Library. Barret Library will serve the needs of the college well into the 21st century. The facility, equipped for both wireless and wired technology, features a 24-hour study space and group study rooms, along with facilities for study and library collections. Also included in the Barret Library are areas for peer-tutoring and writing assistance, computer laboratories, the Digital Media Lab and Media Center.

In order to effect optimum inter-institutional library service to the students, faculty, and staff of the Greater Memphis Consortium, the Barret Library joins the following libraries in making their collections available to each other’s students and faculty: The Christian Brothers University Library, Hollis F. Price Library of LeMoyne-Owen College, Ned W. McWherter Library of the University of Memphis, G. Pillow Lewis Library of the Memphis College of Art, and the Memphis Theological Seminary Library. Students are also entitled to library cards in the Memphis Public Library and Information Center (Central Branch), which is an especially valuable community resource. The Barret Library operates an active interlibrary loan service for its faculty and students with libraries outside the Memphis area.