The first collection in the University Library was a gift of about 100 volumes from Fr. Louis Guillaume Valentin DuBourg, Georgetown University’s third president, in 1796. For nearly 220 years since then, the Library's collections have grown to include everything from the rarest documents to the most intricate databases.
The University Library will continue to invest in print, digital, electronic, data and multimedia resources—both current and historic—for continued excellence in advancing our users’ teaching, learning, and research. Your financial contribution to support the Library's established collections funds will enable us to timely support our scholars' research needs, whether those involve an ancient manuscript, a new electronic resource, or a software package for data visualization.
Some endowments are designed to support the general needs of the Library
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Georgetown Chimes Endowment Fund: Established in 1990 by David J. Walsh, C'58, the Chimes Fund is the Library's largest endowment and supports the Library's general collection needs.
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Clarke A. Nelson Endowment Fund: Established in 1982 by Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, parents of Evelyn Nelson F'85, the Nelson Fund supports the general needs of the Library.
Others are used to purchase books and other items for the library from many subject areas.
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School of Business Administration Library Endowment Fund: Established in 1982 by Donald J. Donahue C'47, this endowment supports the Library purchasing books in business administration.
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Professor Bernard Wagner Book Endowment Fund: Established in 1972 by Prof. Wagner's colleagues and his former students on the occasion of his retirement for the Library to purchase books in English Literature.
In addition, the Library seeks additional support in research and collections in emerging areas. Below is but a small listing of representative emerging subject areas.
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Environmental Studies is a growing campus wide initiative with many departments and schools examining not only the scientific impact of changes to the environment but also the social and political aspects, the ethics of environmental change and the impact on social justice for people around the world. Supporting this interdisciplinary effort would bring great value to the students and faculty of the university.
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Language Studies, emphasizing work and research in languages other than English, also are prominent in the Library's recent curricular offerings. The Library maintains significant collections in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian and books and journals; we regularly are adding materials from many other languages. The cost of purchase and delivery of these materials from around the world is always increasing. Endowment support will allow for more intensive collection building in any of these languages for the future.
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Georgetown University is renowned for its impact on Global Affairs, preparing its students to ascend to leadership positions world affairs through both governmental and private endeavors. Support for multidisciplinary collections in this broad area helps prepare these students, not only for their studies, but also to have a long term positive impact on the world.
For more information or to explore these gift opportunities, please contact Christian Conant,Chief of Staff, Office of Advancement, at cc568@georgetown.edu or 202-687-6916.