NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 22 number 1 - Fall 2001

The Friends of the Library (FOL) of North Carolina State University, a volunteer organization operating in support of the NCSU Libraries, enriches the intellectual and cultural environment for faculty, students, and the community by raising funds, attracting distinguished special collections, and sponsoring special events. As early as 1936, the State College Library Committee discussed the idea of developing a friends organization, and the FOL was formally established by the State College Board of Trustees on June 4, 1947. The single objective cited for the FOL was "to make the D. H. Hill Library the outstanding technical library of the Southeast."

I am pleased to report that the Friends has made great strides toward the achievement of its objective set forth some fifty-four years ago. The FOL takes great pride in the Libraries' rank of number 35 out of 112 academic and research libraries and in its receipt of the first Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Nevertheless, the challenges and opportunities that confront the Libraries and the FOL have never been more paramount than at present. During this period of unprecedented cost escalation for library operations, the library is faced with very severe reductions in state appropriations for the next biennial budget (and likely beyond). This means that the FOL must effectively use its ability to educate the broader public on the library's critical role in campus-based research and teaching and in outreach programs across the state. We must also plan and implement aggressive fund-raising initiatives in the private sector.

Another concern for the Friends is the critical need for capital funds to effect much-needed renovations and to construct a new library facility. A coordinated vision for the library's future will be greatly enhanced by the master-planning process outlined in Article 2, "'Mastering' the Future of the NCSU Libraries."

The FOL Board of Directors has made a major commitment to itself, the library, the NCSU Board of Trustees, and the community to advance the interests of the NCSU Libraries. On behalf of the FOL board, I invite everyone to join in support of this effort . The future of the library’s resources may depend upon the success of these collective efforts in the years ahead.