What a tremendous year this has been for Duke Libraries! Looking back at all we have accomplished as a community, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for our friends and supporters.
For the first time ever, our donors together contributed over $1 million to the Libraries Annual Fund. That unrestricted support is so important to fulfilling our mission to Duke students and faculty, and allows us the flexibility we need to expand our collections, staff, and services.
Overall, we received almost $8 million from 2,500 donors to the Libraries. Thanks to our donors, we have been able to create new programs and establish a number of new endowments that will provide for the Duke community now and into the future. Here are just a few of our accomplishments from the past fiscal year:
- Robert L. Byrd Endowment Fund: Created a supported by many of our friends in honor of Bob Byrd and his forty-year service to the Libraries, this endowment will support the Director of the Rubenstein Library.
- Weaver Memorial Lecture featuring Colson Whitehead: The bestselling author of The Underground Railroad, winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, spoke to a full house audience in Page Auditorium after viewing materials from the Libraries’ collection.
- Chopped! The Historical Edition: First-year and sophomore students explored the culture, politics, and economics of food with staff from the Rubenstein Library for this “Spring Breakthrough” seminar.
- Textbooks on Reserve: Students can now check out textbooks for some of Duke’s most popular classes. While students are still encouraged to buy their own textbooks, this program allows them to borrow a copy in a pinch.