For more than ten years, the University has offered the senior campuses the
opportunity to increase their Library acquisitions budgets through an annual matching grant program. The sum made available to each college is determined by its graduate enrollment. (The articulated purpose of the match is to increase funding for Library materials that support graduate study; however, stagnant budgets have meant that the funds are simply used to keep beleaguered libraries afloat.) Matches must be made using non-tax-levy funds; institutions may also match "in kind." The sum offered to Brooklyn has hovered around $37,000 for the life of the program.
Until 2001-2002, the Brooklyn College Foundation supplied the College's share of the match, either using unrestricted funds or (in the early 1990s) mounting small fund-raising campaigns targeted to the match. Last year, however, the ax fell: the Foundation's portfolio was losing value, and a process of letting us down [somewhat] gently began: Vice President Jan Scott let us know that the Foundation could meet only half the match, and that we would be responsible for the remainder. Accordingly, we used about $17,000 in gift funds.
In 2002-2003, the Foundation mounted a fund-raising campaign to help us on our way toward the match. Unfortunately, the amount brought in by that campaign was very small: either gift funds or the Edward Paolella Collection (as an in-kind match) must rescue us. If we match in-kind using the Paolella Collection, while we will still receive the State's $37,000, we will sorely miss the like sum previously provided by the Foundation. And, it is important to note that our gift funds are so small and the return paid on them so slight (indeed, it is possible there will be no return this year) that we cannot go on in this way for another year. Thus, the outlook for 2003-2004.
All this having been said, Timothy Heimerle of the Brooklyn College Foundation deserves real credit for designing a clever fund-raising campaign for the 2002-2003 match. Were it not for the weak economy, his work would surely have netted a larger yield. Not only did a letter from the chief librarian go out, but it was accompanied by a set of refrigerator magnets with library-related words on them. Librarians Beth Evans, Irwin Weintraub, and Marianne LaBatto contributed the words for a company that creates custom magnet sets http://www.fridgedoor.com/. The Library is very grateful for Tim's support.