NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 26 number 2 - Winter 2006

Making a Mark on the Libraries

By Anna Dahlstein, External Relations

Several individuals devoted to the Libraries have responded to the Achieve! campaign’s call for donations to enhance the public spaces currently under renovation in the D. H. Hill Library. While much of the renovation is being funded by the 2000 North Carolina Higher Education Bond, private gifts will provide a higher level of quality for furnishings and finishes, making the spaces more comfortable and attractive for students and faculty.

Distinguished University Research Professor in Computer Science Donald Bitzer and his wife, Maryann, established an Incubator Endowment for library collections in 2001. Since then, they have brought their incubator fund to full endowment status and contributed generously to the current campaign for the Libraries. The exquisitely designed Astral Bench in the new Conservatory will be named in their honor in recognition of their campaign gift.

The Conservatory, a special seating alcove off the Special Collections exhibit gallery, will provide a place for reflection, study, and quiet conversation looking out over the Brickyard. A unique lighted glass sculpture will enliven the library’s façade at night and serve as a welcoming beacon for students. Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Susan K. Nutter made a gift to the campaign in honor of her sister, Deborah Winslow Nutter, and selected the light sculpture as a permanent marker of the tribute. Earlier in the campaign, she established the Edmund Winslow and Dorothy Hilmer Nutter Endowment in honor of her parents. It supports the Libraries’ collections in all subjects and formats.

Meanwhile, Donald and Verdie Moreland made a generous gift to support the renovation, which is reclaiming former staff workspace and converting it into a centrally located, highly visible Special Collections Research Center. The Special Collections Seminar Room will be named after the Morelands, who have generously supported the Libraries over many years. The seminar room will be a vital component of the suite of new learning spaces for students and faculty.

Naming opportunities allow donors to support the Libraries in a meaningful way and receive permanent recognition in a newly renovated area. An array of naming opportunities remain available, ranging from the Special Collections Research Center (at the $3 million level) and the Learning Commons ($500,000) to several Faculty Research Studies ($15,000), black cherry atlas stands ($7,500), and chairs in the Special Collections Reading Room ($750 each).

For further information, please call the director of library development, Jim Mulvey, at (919) 515-3339, send an electronic-mail message to jim_mulvey@ncsu.edu, or visit the development Web site at www.lib.ncsu.edu/renovation/namingOp/.