In 1924 James B. Duke, the tobacco and hydroelectric power magnate, established the Duke Endowment as a permanent trust fund with designated beneficiaries. Davidson College, Duke University, Furman University, and Johnson C. Smith University are among the recipients of this generous benefactor.

In 2001 the directors, librarians, and staff of TDEL—The Duke Endowment Libraries—met to discuss issues of mutual concern and opportunities for collaboration. The TDEL meetings thus far have resulted in a reciprocal borrowing agreement between the libraries, a joint library disaster response workshop, an information literacy workshop, and support for a representative of each library to attend a copyright workshop.

On June 14, 2007, the Furman Libraries co-hosted, with Duke University, a TDEL workshop featuring Trudi Jacobson, a reknowned Information Literacy author and winner of the 2009 ACRL-IS Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award. The workshop was entitled "Active Learning in Library Instruction" and was attended by twenty-four representatives from the four TDEL institutions.