A Message from the Dean
The University at Albany Libraries have a long history of providing services and collections that enhance the learning and discovery mission of the University at Albany. Over the past two decades changes in technology have challenged us to develop new ways of delivering information to our students and faculty. Today, we face additional challenges posed by steady state or declining budgets combined with price increases, especially for digital materials. Consequently, more than ever, we rely on private support to build our collections, expand our services, and provide the overall excellent library experience our students and faculty deserve.
If you already support the Libraries please accept our heartfelt appreciation. If you are not yet a supporter but are considering giving to the University Libraries, you might want to read our newsletter, consult our list of endowments, or go directly to the University's Ways to Give web site (select Click to view more options and choose University Libraries).
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about the Libraries or if you need more information about giving.
Carey Hatch
Interim Dean of University Libraries
Make a one-time or sustaining gift online
Endowments
Contributions to the University Libraries’ funds and endowments enable us to maintain and expand our collections and provide the range of research–related services needed to support student learning and student and faculty research in the 21st century. If you have questions or need additional information about our funds and endowments please contact the Libraries’ Development Officer, Mary Johnson (518-956-7952 or mtjohnson@albany.edu) or the Office of the Dean of University Libraries (518-442-3568).
Library Development Fund
The Library Development Fund (LDF) is used to acquire materials and support the Libraries’ services and facilities. Directing your gift to the LDF has immediate impact and provides the University Libraries with the flexibility to use your gift where it is most urgently needed. However, if you are interested in a specific subject area or library service, your contribution can be earmarked as a fund within the LDF and used for that purpose. Memorial contributions can also be directed to the LDF and can be designated for a purpose that honors the memory of the subject of the gift.
Endowments
The University Libraries’ endowments provide funding streams that help us continue to provide needed collections and services – even during economic downturns and/or when costs of materials rise dramatically. The original amount donated to establish the endowment is invested by the University at Albany Foundation and never expended. Only the interest generated by the fund is available to be spent, thereby ensuring that funds from our endowments will be available in perpetuity.
Named endowments can be established by an individual or group of donors with a minimum gift of $25,000. Contributions of any size to existing endowments help further their purpose. Below are some examples of endowments established by our generous donors:
Harry and Louise Clement Hastings Endowment - established by Alice Hastings Murphy to support the purchase of literary materials and the preservation of all library materials.
Evelyn M. Tarplee Library Technology Progress Fund - established to purchase hardware and software, this fund will enable greater access to library resources and services.
Honoring Our Professors Endowed Fund for University Libraries - established by donors as a way of honoring professors who motivated or inspired them, this fund provides support to acquire, strengthen, and maintain the Libraries' collection of materials related to the arts and sciences.
George E. Martin Fund - provides support for the Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan Department.
University Libraries Fund for Materials in Education - supports the purchase and maintenance of materials for scholars and students in the School of Education.
University Libraries Fund for Materials in Fine Arts and Performing Arts - enables the University Libraries to enhance and maintain collections of materials related to the fine and performing arts.
Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection Endowment – supports the acquisition of materials for, and the processing cataloging, maintenance and preservation of, the University Libraries’ Historical Children’s Literature Collection.
University Libraries Fund for Materials in Social Sciences - supports the purchase and enhancement of collections that serve Colleges, Schools, programs, and departments in the Social Sciences throughout the university.
The Greatest Generation Fund for the University Libraries - established by members of the Class of 1948 on the occasion of their 55th reunion, this fund provides support for the University Libraries' collections in arts and sciences.
Student Service Excellence Award – provides funding for annual awards to student assistants.
Alice Hastings Murphy Scholarship Fund – supports a partial scholarship for a library employee matriculating in a degree program in Library and Information Science.
University Libraries Fund for Materials in Economics – provides funding to strengthen and maintain the Libraries' collection of materials related to the research and study of Economics.
University Libraries Endowment for Enriching Programs in Science and Technology – provides funding to help ensure that Albany's science and technology collections keep up with demands from students and researchers.
The Preservation of Tradition Fund for the University Libraries – helps assure the preservation of the University's history and traditions through support of the University Archives.
The University Libraries Fund for the Preservation Laboratory - supports the work of the University Libraries' Preservation Laboratory.
The Dean and Director's New Initiatives Fund for Albany's University Libraries – supports strategic investments in new initiatives to advance the collections and services of the Libraries.
The Anna Radkowski-Lee Graduate Assistantship Endowment – provides a graduate student studying Library and Information Science with tuition support and professional experience working in an academic library.
If you would like to make a donation, please go directly to the University's Ways to Give web site (select Click to view more options and choose University Libraries).
For additional information about endowments at the University at Albany see contact Mary Johnson (518-956-7952 or mtjohnson@albany.edu).
Library Development Committee
Established in 2001, the current Library Development Committee is committed to raising funds for the Libraries.
The members of the Library Development Committee are:
Mary Brankman '63, Elaine Brody '68, Carla Craft, Matthew Ostoyich '57, Sandra Ostoyich, MLS '71, Edith (Walter)Quake '63, Professor Jeremy Schrauf, M.A. '75, Carol Clingan '71, MLS '73, Thomas Clingan '73, MPA '75, Jill Weinstein, MLS '72, Carla Honig '74, Rebecca Mugridge, Dean of University Libraries, and Mary Johnson, Senior Major Gift Officer.
Committee members have personal reasons for their philanthropic interests. For example:
A longtime friend of the University, Carla Craft joined the Library Development Committee in 2001. She sustains The University Libraries' Fund for Materials in Fine Arts and Performing Arts because it allows her "to support the university that did an excellent job educating my daughters and son-in-law, in areas that interest all of us who are parents of students or who are alumni."
Matt and Sandy Ostoyich initiated Honoring Our Professors Endowed Fund for University Libraries in 2004. For Matt, "Professor Harry Price of the Department of History was an exemplary teacher and scholar who prepared me well not only in the discipline of history, but also in the uses of a library." For Sandy, who earned her Master's degree in Library Science in 1971, "No university can be truly exceptional without an outstanding library system." Together, the Ostoyiches are committed to building the University Libraries as well as paying tribute to the professors who taught them how to use their resources.
Edith (Walter) Quake supports, with her customary vigor, The University Libraries' Endowment for Enriching Programs in Science and Technology. The heart of a university, in her view, is the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. The library serves that function and is a resource for every student, professor, and member of the university community. Because the library plays such a crucial role, she is willing to spend time and resources in its support.
Jeremy Schrauf has been a member of the Library Development Committee since the Campaign for the New Library, which began in 1997. He believes in the centrality of Albany's Libraries to achieve the University's mission. He supports the Annual Fund and raising endowments for Library collections. Mr. Schrauf initiated The University Libraries Fund for Materials for Research in Economics in 2004.