By ROBB CROUCH
NU Foundation
KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney, in association with the University of Nebraska Foundation, has launched a program to “Buy a Book for the Library” as a long-term project for library enhancement and to help replace books damaged in an April storm.
“The Buy a Book fund will support the immediate need of replacing some of the books that could not be restored following the storm,” said Janet Stoeger Wilke, dean of the UNK library. “Donations to the fund will enhance the library’s ability to provide students with access to important titles, while giving a lasting way for friends of UNK to support the library while honoring a special person or event.”
With a gift to Buy a Book, a bookplate with a personalized message will be placed in each new book purchased by the library. The bookplate will include the name of the donor and the name of anyone the donor chooses to honor or recognize. A copy of the personalized message and a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to both the donor and the honoree or the honoree’s family. The information will also appear in the library’s online catalog of materials.
The April 9 storm tore part of the roof off the Calvin T. Ryan Library, resulting in damage to about 7,000 books. Many of the books can be restored but some are unsalvageable. As the UNK library staff began cleanup and the task of preserving the book collection after the storm, Wilke said they received offers of help. It reinforced to staff that even in this age of digital books and high-tech forms of communication, people still understand and appreciate the value of books in supporting academic programs.
“Giving to this program is a great way to honor a relative, friend or colleague, and it will be a wonderful way to celebrate an important event in the life of anyone connected to UNK,” said Anne McConkey, director of development at the University of Nebraska Foundation. “It may also be a way for alumni to recognize a professor or an academic department on campus.”
Buy a Book for the Library offers three giving levels: $100 contribution for one personalized book, $500 for six personalized books and $1,000 for 12 personalized books.
To support the Buy a Book program, visit nufoundation.org/unkbuyabook. To learn more or to request a brochure, contact McConkey at the University of Nebraska Foundation at 308-698-5282 or amcconkey@nufoundation.org.
NU FOUNDATION
The University of Nebraska Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization raising private gifts to support the University of Nebraska for more than 77 years. In 2013, donors provided the university with $236.7 million for scholarships, medical and other research, academic programs, faculty support and facilities. The foundation’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, the Campaign for Nebraska, concludes Dec. 31, 2014. For more information, visit campaignfornebraska.org.
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Contact: Anne McConkey, 308.698.5282, amcconkey@nufoundation.org
Writer: Robb Crouch, 402.458.1142, rcrouch@nufoundation.org
