HCC Library Home > Mission, Vision & Values

Mission
As an integral part of the total educational effort of Harford Community College, the Library contributes to excellence in teaching and learning by supporting and expanding classroom instruction. The Library provides easy and comprehensive access to information and instruction in various formats. Responsibilities include instructing students, faculty and members of the general community in information-seeking skills for self-directed studies, critical thinking, and lifelong learning, while serving as a resource center for the citizens of Harford County.

Vision
We are a community of scholars committed to the highest standards of intellectual freedom, academic inquiry, personal enrichment, and preservation of our heritage. We provide seamless and intuitive access to information through our collections, technology, exhibits, and facilities. Teaching is our fundamental activity; we promote student success through instruction in the ethical pursuit and use of information. Our dedicated staff cultivates a welcoming physical and virtual space for collaboration, learning, and discovery. The division of Library and Information Resources stands as the physical and historical centers of our campus and the intellectual portal to our world. Our success is dependent upon collaboration with our fellow teachers and learners. Thus, we continually assess our effectiveness and encourage feedback. We believe that the pursuit of knowledge is inherently valuable, and we strive to empower our local, national, and global communities in this lifelong quest for ideas.

Values
We hold the following values to be fundamental to all we do:

• Service
  We believe in helping others, responding to our users, adjusting our services to their needs and preferences, creating a welcoming and supportive learning environment, and providing free access to information. We seek innovative ways of delivering these services and resources.
• Lifelong Learning
  Even as we seek to teach others, we remain learners. We are committed to helping individuals develop a desire and the skills to investigate effectively many areas of knowledge.
• Integrity
  We are dedicated to the principles of honesty, fairness, respect and trust. We safeguard the privacy of people we serve.
• Excellence
  Our team of well qualified professionals strives for excellence by providing a high level of service, current technology, and breadth of collections.
• Diversity
  We respect individual points of view, embrace differences, cherish intellectual freedom, and promote critical discourse. Our collections, interpretive exhibits and programs reflect multiple perspectives from a variety of past and present cultures.
• Communication
  Communication is the key to understanding. We endeavor to respond to ever-expanding methods of exploring and sharing information by providing comprehensive access to a wide range of resources. We are committed to 24/7 online connectivity.
• Collaboration
  We value teamwork and seek to build effective partnerships within our division, on our campus and with local, national and global communities.

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See also: Hays-Heighe House -- Mission

See also: Information Literacy Program -- Mission