Theme 4: Library Collections
The 2003-2004 "Match"
"It seems unavoidable that less than ideal financial circumstances at the State, University, or College level may demand that the Library and its staff look beyond their traditional roles and take actions to generate funds. At these times it is important that the library and its staff receive as much cooperation as possible in order to assist their fund raising goals. This committee encourages the College to restore the library budget to its original level, and, if complete budget restoration is not possible, to support Dr. Higginbotham and her staff in making up the shortfall through their fund raising efforts." Faculty Council's Committee on the Library, Annual Report 2003-2004
For more than ten years, the University has offered the senior college campuses the opportunity to increase their Library acquisitions budgets through an annual matching grant program. (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 the Library afloat.) Matches must be made using non-tax-levy funds; institutions may also match "in kind." The sum offered to Brooklyn has hovered around $36,000 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." In 2001-2002, however, the axe fell: the Foundation's portfolio had lost value, the College was struggling to meet its own commitments, and a process of letting us down [somewhat] gently began: the Foundation met only half the "match," and we were responsible for the remainder. Accordingly, we anted up $17,000 in gift funds, in order to get the University's full $36,000.
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: the Edward Paolella Collection as an in-kind match rescued us. But, while we received the State's $37,000, we sorely missed the like sum previously provided by the Foundation. (It is important to note that our gift funds are so small and the return paid on them so slight that we cannot possibly come up with $36,000 annually.)
In 2003-2004 the Foundation notified the Library that we would have to pay all associated costs for any mailing designed to raise money toward the "match." Free to approach the faculty, we decided to work toward an email campaign that would offer faculty the ability to give online.
In May, our online giving site http://aitdev.brooklyn.cuny.edu/donations/ completed, we were ready to launch our campaign. However, in the time required to build the site, the Foundation had decided to approach the faculty for the annual fund, and we were asked to wait and do a fall 2004 appeal.
Even so, thanks to the generosity of alumnus Al Tanger, we made the "match": the first installment of Mr. Tanger's five-year gift to the Library of $20,000 per annum for journal subscriptions plus some money from Library gift funds saved the day. We are very grateful to Mr. Tanger and to Professor Barbara Gerber whose dedication to the Library provided the inspiration for his gift.
We look forward to fall 2004 and our first independent and Web-based fund-raising campaign.
