Establish an endowment
“In a sense my book fund is a living creature. I certainly have felt I have been a continuing part of the fund’s growth process and the acquisition to date of more than 2,500 books.” — Ron Klein, BA ’49
Endowments provide ongoing support to the Libraries. Over the years, our generous donors have established endowments to help fund positions, programs, and collections.
The Libraries hold eight endowed positions that support librarianship and curatorship in areas from education and conservation to the Judaica and Hebraica Collections. Our most recent endowed gifts established the Harold C. Hohbach Historian position focused on the history of Silicon Valley. Endowed positions are essential for the Libraries to sustain and grow our work, particularly in specialized areas, such as rare books and digital media preservation. With each newly endowed position, the Libraries are able to attract unparalleled talent who help to sustain and lead the Libraries’ innovations.
A Materials Fund, previously known as a Book Fund, presents another opportunity for alumni and friends to make an endowed gift. The fund supports acquisitions for the Libraries’ collections and continues Jane Stanford’s commitment when she bequeathed her jewelry to the university to establish the very first Book Fund, the Jewel Fund. In recent years, as the type of materials and how the Libraries acquire and make them available have evolved, so too has the fund transitioned from a Book Fund to a Materials Fund. Today, these endowed funds support more than simply collections for the Libraries. They offer the Libraries the flexibility to provide materials that reflect the changing modalities of library resources previously seen in the transition from books to e-books and now with the adoption of subscription and leasing models rather than annual purchases for journals, databases, research tools, and much more.
The Materials Fund is essential for the Libraries to remain both timely and relevant in responding to the changing library landscape of information resources while ensuring our ability to provide support for students, faculty, and scholars in their teaching, studies, and research. The Libraries have over 400 Materials Funds covering a range of areas from general support for collections to specific subject areas such as marine sciences, the history of Stanford and its neighboring communities, and queer literature. Each area is carefully chosen by the donor in consultation with our subject specialists. A custom digital bookplate is designed for each Materials Fund and displayed in SearchWorks, the Libraries’ online catalog, with the accompanying resources purchased and related work supported through the fund.
The Libraries welcome those who have created Materials Funds to the Jewel Society, which honors donors who have made a commitment to grow the Libraries’ materials and resources that will help further the possibilities of research, teaching, and learning in perpetuity.
Other opportunities are available to name a program or a space in the Libraries in honor or memory of a beloved family member, friend, or Stanford colleague with an endowed gift. By making a named gift, you will become a visible part of Stanford University Libraries, recognized and celebrated for your commitment to our work.
Learn more about endowed gifts and why they are so important to the Libraries and Stanford overall. To establish an endowment, please contact us by email at librarydevelopment@stanford.edu or give us a call at 650-736-9538.
Book Funds Frequently Asked Questions
How is a Materials Fund created?
A Materials Fund can be established by a charitable gift or pledge of a minimum of $50,000 and can receive additional contributions at any time. In the process of making a gift or pledge, donors will be able to choose a name for the fund, as well as a designation between general support for Libraries’ materials or a specific subject area. How is a Materials Fund beneficial? The Libraries have over 400 Materials Funds, which as a group helps to support a little more than half of the Libraries’ resources each year. Individually, each fund is impactful in its specified subject area, if chosen. Funds that support the Libraries’ materials generally offer the most flexible support as they are allocated to subject areas with the most needs. The greatest current needs are in the sciences, engineering, and several new fields of study that relate to sustainability through Stanford’s new Doerr School for Sustainability.
How is a Materials Fund stewarded?
Materials Funds with stewarded donors receive annual narrative reports from the relevant subject specialists at the Libraries and annual financial reports from Stanford’s Office of Development. Both reports are available online through the donors’ secure Stanford Pass account. In addition donors who establish a Materials Fund receive the following from the Libraries: a custom designed digital bookplate, online access to view library materials made possible by their fund, membership in the honorary Jewel Society, subscription to Remix, the Libraries’ monthly e-newsletter, and invitations to Libraries’ events and exhibitions.