In the summer of 1995, in tandem with the College of Business Administration’s move into a new facility, the University Libraries (now Hesburgh Libraries) debuted the Thomas Mahaffey, Jr. Business Information Center (now the Thomas Mahaffey, Jr. Business Library). The new branch library, a collaborative effort by the Hesburgh Libraries, the Office of University Computing (now OIT) and the College of Business Administration (now Mendoza College of Business), was envisioned to be a new home for our business librarians, with only electronic access to business resources (such as databases and electronic journals.) This electronic “virtual library” was a groundbreaking concept at a time when most libraries were using digital technologies as only supplemental resources or as finding aids to locate paper volumes.
In 2005, based on user feedback, the Business Information Center embarked on a remodeling initiative to increase visibility, upgrade technology, and improve environmental “creature comforts”. The branch immediately saw positive feedback and increased patron traffic.
Over time, the original collection of just over 10 databases expanded into 150 databases with more than 65,000 patrons using the collections annually. According to Steve Hayes, the Entrepreneurial Spirit Endowed Business Librarian and Thomas Mahaffey, Jr. Business Library Director, “[the library] blends the discipline-specific expertise of our professional librarians and databases with productivity software, thus turning information into new knowledge in the form of business-related reports, proposals, business plans, etc. Where the individual researcher was emphasized, now the team/collaborative partnership is the norm.”
Viewed at the time (1995) as primarily a research center where patrons could simply access electronic resources, today's Business Library maintains a full staff of discipline-specific experts that offer a wide range of support for undergraduate and graduate research and curriculum development. Much like the other seven branch libraries on campus (Architecture, Chemistry-Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, Kellogg-Kroc, Radiation Lab, and Visual Resources Center), it has become an embedded and vital resource for research and scholarship. Thoughtful integration with the vision of the Mendoza College of Business and rapid response to the changing needs of students and faculty (reflected in qualitative and quantitative assessment) have guided the Mahaffey Business Library's evolution into a critical resource for individual research support, collaborative study, and classroom instruction.
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