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WHAT DO A SCHOLAR AND A TV CHARACTER HAVE TO DO WITH ACADEMIC LIBRARY FUNDRAISING?

ALADN 2015 21 April 2015

Brian E. C. SchottlaenderThe Audrey Geisel University Librarian

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NOAM CHOMSKY AND SHELLY JOHNSON

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SUSAN SONTAG AND WALTER WHITE

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??? AND ???

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JOSEPH CAMPBELL AND EMILY LITELLA

https://youtu.be/BqLUIoRB7Wg

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CAMPBELL AND LITELLA ARE ALL ABOUT …

M Y T H S MISCONCEPTIONS

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DEFINITIONS

MYTH:• A traditional story which embodies a belief

regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god, a hero, the origin of the world or of a people, etc.

• A commonly-held but false belief

MISCONCEPTION:• a mistaken belief, a wrong idea

—Wiktionary.com

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LET’S CALL THEM …

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M&M #1

Libraries do not have alumni. 

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ON THE CONTRARY

• "Some people think nobody graduates from the library, but I say EVERYBODY graduates from the library!“

• “No one ever graduated from a library, but no one ever graduated without one.”  

• Student employees• Parents– Fulfilling work that pays relatively well– Safe environment

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M&M #2

Library operations are fully covered by the university.

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ON THE CONTRARY

• Academic, not Administrative.

• Deferred Maintenance.

• Research Overhead.

• Mandatory Cost Increases.

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M&M 3

Isn’t everything on the Internet?

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ON THE CONTRARY

• #1: No, everything isn’t on the Internet.

• #2: Oh, and BTW, electronic stuff goes up

in price too.

• #3: Library gate counts are up, not down.

• #4: Digitizing print …

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M&M 4

Libraries are old fashioned.

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ON THE CONTRARY

• Spaces.

• Services.

• Innovation.

• Collaboration.

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M&M 5

Libraries don’t attract big donors.

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ON THE CONTRARY

• Numbers talk: UC San Diego, USC,

Stanford, Seattle University, UBC, Ohio

State, Kentucky, Princeton …

• Faster, Bigger.

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M&M 6

Older donors aren’t interested in digital and

younger donors aren’t interested in anything else.

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ON THE CONTRARY

• Stereotyping

• Tech community

• J.K. Rowling, Peter Jackson, and

Benedict Cumberbatch

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M&M 7

Donated collections process themselves.

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ON THE CONTRARY

• Um, no.

• But …– Material of interest

– Processing, etc. funds

– Donor pipeline

– Planned giving pipeline

– Good will

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IN CLOSING

• It's hard.

• 2nd highest priority.

• Gaps in information, mis-assumptions,

and nostalgia.

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FINALLY

“My best thought here is that people don't understand the academic libraries of today.  Grads with the greatest resources are of an age that they are remembering card catalogs, etc.  Most don't understand the power of today's libraries: spaces, technology, writing support, teaching innovation, collaboration work, multimedia, etc.  People are knocked out when they visit.  The trick remains:  How do we bring prospective vols and donors up to speed with where libraries are today?”

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THANK YOU!

QUESTIONS?