Welcome to the Renfro Library Web Site!  The Renfro Library is the place on campus to conduct research and find information, and this page is designed to help you do that.  We hope you will find our website useful in your coursework here at Mars Hill College.  In addition to the online catalog, this site provides information on library hours, services, policies and staff, as well as an organized list of links to valuable web resources.

Some of the resources you will find at the library include over 85,000 book volumes, 330 periodical subscriptions, and access to the full-text of over 16,000 electronic periodicals, plus indexing for the contents of thousands more.  The Reference Collection contains encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and other resources designed to provide information quickly and easily.

One of the most important resources you will find is the library staff.  We are here to help you use the library efficiently and effectively.  PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP AT ANY TIME!

In addition to the resources inside the library, we have access to material at libraries throughout the area, the state, the nation, and even other countries if necessary.

We welcome you to the Renfro Library and hope you will have great success in your studies!

Bev Robertson

Director of Library Services

 

The Mars Hill College academic community promotes intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth by providing an education grounded in the liberal arts, connected with the world of work, and committed to character development. The Renfro Library facilitates the mission of the college by providing resources and services that support and enhance the programs in the five divisions of Business and Behavioral Sciences; Education; Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics and Sciences. An integral part of the academic community, the Library selects, organizes, and provides:

• Access to material collections that are relevant to curriculum and research needs.
• Access to electronic resources and physical material not located in the Library.
• Cooperative borrowing privileges through Interlibrary Loan.
• Reciprocal agreements and consortia arrangements with other libraries and organizations.
• Instruction in the use of library resources and information literacy.

The Library maintains a highly qualified professional and paraprofessional staff that is responsive to individual needs and enables the students, faculty, and staff of Mars Hill College to fully utilize all available resources necessary to support the mission of the college.

 

The Renfro Library was opened in September 1996, and formally dedicated in October 1996.  It is named after George and Donna Renfro, MHC class of 1975, whose generous contribution made the new library possible.  From 1955 until August 1996, the library was housed in the Memorial Library building, which is across Highway 213 from the Renfro Library.  Prior to Memorial, the Montague building housed the library from 1919 to 1955.  The current library building was the location of the cafeteria before Pittman Dining Hall was opened in 1994.

Library collections include:

95,000+ volumes

160 periodical subscriptions

20,000+ electronic periodicals

102,000+ electronic books

2600+ LP records

360+ CDs

178,000+ units of microform

Other fun facts:

The library is open 73.25 hours per week.

The library has 4 professional librarians, 3 paraprofessional staff, and up to 20 student workers.

Librarians presented 113 research instruction sessions last year.

Over 9800 circulation transactions occurred last year.

Nearly 900 interlibrary loan transactions were processed last year.

The wood sculpture over the stairwell was done by Dr. Bill Collette of Green Mountain, NC.  The five people were chosen based on their contributions to the liberal arts.  They are, from left to right:  John Locke, Martin Luther, Albert Einstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, and William Shakespeare.  The sculptures, made from poplar wood, are 4” thick, 39” wide, 51” high and weigh about 60 lbs. each.

The Renfro’s Special Collections room, a.k.a. The Appalachian Room, houses an outstanding collection of books and other resources related to the southern mountain region.  The college archives are also located there.

 

Take Exit 11 off 19/23 (I26), and go west to the town of Mars Hill.

Turn right at the traffic light at Main Street (by the park with the gazebo).

Turn left at the 2nd intersection onto Bailey Street. Renfro Library is one block down Bailey at the corner of Bailey and Athletic Street and faces uphill.

Mars Hill College Campus Map