The Library and the University of Chicago Campaign

This fall, the University of Chicago is entering the public phase of The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact, which has a goal of raising $4.5 billion. The priorities of the campaign, the most ambitious in the University’s history, include support for faculty and researchers who are shaping fields of inquiry, distinctive educational opportunities for students at all levels, and innovative programs to enhance the University’s local and global reach and impact.

Among the Library’s most distinctive holdings are its Special Collections of rare books, manuscripts, and archives, as well as world-renowned area studies collections focused on East Asia, Southern Asia, the Middle East, and Slavic and Eastern Europe. Funds are needed to preserve and expand these invaluable collections for future researchers and students. A $2 million Special Collections Opportunity Endowment will enable the purchase of unique items and rare collections that are available for a limited time in a highly competitive marketplace. A $2.5 million Global Resources Collections Opportunity Endowment will allow the Library to seize special opportunities in areas of the world where different acquisition patterns require flexibility. And a $5 million Digital Program Endowment will support the digitization of collections to enable new types of research on campus and around the world.

The Library strives to anticipate the new needs of faculty and students. As the University establishes and expands its programs in areas such as molecular engineering and the sciences, Jewish studies, and Latin America, the Library seeks to establish expendable and endowed funds to build collections and provide services that support emerging directions in the University’s research agenda. A $2 million Science Collections Fund will bolster the John Crerar Library’s resources, including online literature, databases for discovery, and tools to aid in the discovery, management, visualization, and analysis of information arising from research activities, such as ChemDraw, which allows researchers to draw chemical substances. A $1.5 million Jewish Studies Endowment will expand and enhance the Library’s current Jewish Studies collection to serve the growing needs on campus in this area.

The electronic age has created an increasingly complex landscape for everyone from College students to advanced researchers. New teaching techniques and assignments create the need for new study environments. Graduate students, faculty, and visiting researchers have highly specialized research needs that often require in-depth consultation with librarians. A $2 million Instruction and Research Support Program Endowment will enable the Library to teach users how to optimize their use of both emerging and established scholarly resources. A $1 million Study Spaces Fund will support the creation of flexible spaces that are suitable for collaboration and outfitted with the latest technologies.

In order to embrace the promise and the challenges of the future, the Library must be able to respond to opportunities as they arise. New research needs will continue to emerge, and user demand for rapid and innovative access to physical and virtual materials will continue to grow. A $2 million Strategic Opportunities Fund will allow the Library to sustain its strengths and maintain its forward momentum. This fund will provide long-term support to test new ideas through pilot projects, to use technologies of the future; to hire experts for emerging initiatives; and to purchase products and services developed by commercial vendors. A $3 million Strategic Opportunities Collections Endowment will provide the Library flexibility to obtain highly desirable, unique collections across the disciplines when they come onto the market. The fund will also support the University of Chicago Library’s fruitful partnerships with peer institutions in order to increase collection coverage, discoverability, and access.

For specific information on these and other campaign giving opportunities and to learn more about the Library’s role in The University of Chicago Campaign: Inquiry and Impact, please contact Yasmin Omer, Director of Development for the Library at 773-834-3744 or at yasminomer@uchicago.edu.