Jan 21, 2019 Library’s Giving Priorities
“Imagine New Heights.” It’s the U’s new fundraising campaign and how fitting it is for the library. The library’s core fundraising goals, outlined below, reflect a dedication to students and faculty and a vision that aligns closely with the U’s new President, Dr. Ruth Watkins. Learn more about the library’s campaign on our development page.
Build an interdisciplinary digital productivity space: $6 million
Promoting student success is the core objective of the J. Willard Marriott Library and we strive to reach this objective through both traditional and innovative new services. In addition to providing research instruction and an extensive catalog of physical and digital collections, the library is one of the busiest buildings on campus, due largely to our flexible, unique learning spaces and enterprising staff.
To facilitate increased interdisciplinary access to specialized equipment for artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D printing and scanning, machine learning, and other data visualization techniques, the library is creating a digital productivity space. This maker space will provide resources for students, staff, and faculty across campus and serve as a hub for collaboration in digital scholarship, creation, and research.
Create an endowment to acquire rare collections: $1.5 million
The items housed within Special Collections are what distinguish the Marriott Library from others in the region. Spanning Utah, Mormons, and the West to extensive science, engineering, medical, and legal archives, among others, these collections are utilized by students, faculty, and researchers around the world.
Each year, special collections staff work with faculty and students across campus to identify the materials they need in their learning and research. Donors are critical in providing access to these rare collections through their gifts of finances and other materials.
Create an endowment to provide equipment, facilities, updates, and other ongoing support for the library’s greatest needs: $1.5 million
As the primary service hub and destination for students, the Marriott Library is integral to the teaching, research, and public life missions of the University of Utah. Providing more than 500,000 square feet for 1.6 million visitors each year, the library’s teaching and learning spaces are in constant need of updates, maintenance, and repair. With more than 4,000 chairs in public spaces, most occupied up to 18 hours per day, private gifts support critical maintenance of the library and its resources.
Through the generosity of donors, and gifts of every size, the library will continue to meet the changing needs of students and faculty by acquiring new equipment, utilizing furniture that can adapt to a wide variety of uses, and providing access to the latest technologies and databases that users require.
Enable ongoing programming support for Book Arts education
and training
The Marriott Library’s Book Arts Program creates enrichment opportunities for university students, k-12 schools and educators, and community members through various programs that utilize bookmaking as an educational tool. Its outreach efforts connect classrooms around the state with university students, faculty, and staff providing early exposure to higher education and art programming that complements academic curricula.
In addition to outreach programming, the program provides a minor and certificate in Book Arts and Master of Fine Art in Creative Writing and Book Arts. These academic designations are supported by classes exploring letterpress printing, bookbinding, artists’ books, and typography.
Private support is critical to the program’s ability to reach more than 12,000 students each year and allows Book Arts to host workshops and community drop-in sessions in paper-making, bookmaking, and printing.
Launch a fund for visiting scholars to engage in research and scholarship in the Marriott Library’s Special Collections
The Marriott Library’s Special Collections are what make us truly unique. The Utah Ski Archives, Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women’s Legacy Archive, Mitsugi M. Kasai Japanese American Archive, and Kristen Ries & Maggie Snyder HIV/AIDS Archive, among many others, provide researchers worldwide with access to materials and perspectives that only Utah can offer.
To increase access to, and utilization of, these remarkable collections, the library provides research fellowships that bring scholars to Utah to study these one-of-a-kind materials expanding the impact of these items and promoting the work of university students and faculty.
Establish student fellowships at the University Press
For nearly 70 years, the University of Utah Press has been publishing in the areas of anthropology, archaeology, Mesoamerican studies, American Indian studies, linguistics, natural history, nature writing, Utah and Western history, Mormon studies, Utah and regional guidebooks, and other regional titles.
Through the work of only seven full-time staff, the University Press publishes 25-30 titles each year. Fellowships enable the press to hire graduate students who support marketing and editing while learning the publishing process and deepening their knowledge of the press’ subject areas. These students expand the capacity of the press and enable staff to meet vital production deadlines.
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