Your Donation at Work

Through her role as an alumna, Tanya has gained a richer understanding of the evolving impact of the University Libraries. She said, “The Libraries don’t have alumni like other colleges within the University do, so it takes support from all of us to keep Penn State competitive and at the leading edge of innovation and research.” This perspective has deepened her appreciation for how the Libraries address contemporary challenges faced by students and faculty.

Tanya found it particularly enlightening to see how the Libraries have adapted to meet students' needs. “It was eye-opening to learn about the challenges students face today and how the Libraries have grown to fill in gaps that students need to be successful, particularly in the area of access to resources. It really drove home the need for a strong and innovative Library,” she noted. Her insights and support reflect a strong commitment to ensuring that the Libraries continue to thrive and provide essential resources for the entire Penn State University community.

His connection to libraries extends to his current role as the Chief Operating Officer at the American Philatelic Society, which has a large philatelic library. Ken believes that libraries are essential for everyone, regardless of their academic or professional interests. Especially since not everyone can afford ownership of academic resources, he emphasizes the importance of accessibility that libraries offer.

"I see libraries as something that should be important to everyone, regardless of major,” says Ken.

Ken's dedication to the Penn State Libraries goes beyond his professional and academic ties. He contributes to the Library Future Fund, a decision motivated by his desire to support the Penn State community. He views his donations as a way to give back to an institution that played a key role in his life, both as an undergraduate and a graduate student.

Some of Ken's earliest memories of the University Libraries include rooms filled with stacks of books and card catalogs as opposed to computers. While the Internet has transformed how people access information, Ken asserts that print materials are still important and useful.

For Ken, supporting libraries is not just about giving to a specific cause; it's about fostering an environment that benefits the entire institution. Libraries, he believes, are one of the few things that support the entire university community, not just a specific population. His contributions reflect his values of community service and a sense of belonging to the Penn State family.

Her donations go towards funding library faculty training, travel and lodging expenses for junior faculty members working towards tenure, research and scholarly services related to faculty professions and career development and the improvement of commonwealth library spaces.

Part of her reason for giving circles back to her time as Dean, when the University gave librarians faculty status, which meant they were expected to go through tenure with little to no funding, supportive resources or time off. During her time as Dean, she prioritized giving librarians and staff resources to succeed in their endeavors, which translates to one of her reasons for giving as well.

“To me, it was critical to the future of the Library because the quality of the Library staff is where our service comes from,” said Eaton.

Another achievement of Eaton’s was her leadership during the merge of all the Penn State Commonwealth Libraries. As the first Dean of all the Libraries, she focused on keeping all campus leaders informed and involved with Library activities. She would regularly visit all campuses, and one of her most notable endeavors was finding ways to lower the price of University Park educational resources, most prominently databases, so all Commonwealth Libraries could afford and have access to them.

One newly created endowment Nancy is giving to involves the improvement of Commonwealth Library spaces, which includes funding for new renovations to optimize spaces for students. These renovations will improve library areas by introducing new furniture, amenities and educational resources like computers and books.

Eaton’s legacy at Penn State lies in her endowments. Her passion for faculty success and scholarly achievement across all campuses, which she prioritized during her time as Dean, is an area where she wants Penn State to continue to thrive.

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“I figured anything to help make changes or improvements to make it a better experience for the students is a very good idea,” said Witt. One unique feature and reasoning behind Witt’s donations to the Future Fund is using them to honor people he cares about. For example, donating in memory of his best friend, who was a school teacher and who mutually shared a passion for education. His donations in the name of loved ones serve as a tribute to them.

“When people I care about have a big wedding anniversary or major birthday, I figure that I can honor these people and do something to help the library also,” said Witt.

Witt’s constant support is his way of expressing gratitude to Penn State, and helping students is a rewarding experience for him. He believes the Library is a wonderful resource, and after taking a tour in 2016, he was very impressed with all the new resources implemented. To Witt, a library is vital to any university, and this is an incremental - but impactful - way he helps to ensure that our libraries continue to thrive.

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Pollock’s passion for learning sparked the idea for this award and specifically chose the Libraries because of how important reading and the availability of resources are, and uniquely, this gift is a tribute to her parents. Growing up, she frequently visited libraries with them and would read together every night before bed.

“When I was growing up, my father always said ‘reading is extremely important,’ because when you can read and comprehend you can pretty much do anything in life,” said Pollock.

Learning is a passion of hers, and if anyone else shares that passion and is considering making a gift to the University Libraries, she encourages you to be creative and make an award or donation that can directly impact a student.

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University Libraries Student Well-Being Initiative
We raised 39,000 (with a goal of 35,000), thanks to 164 donors.

PSU Press Unlocked
We raised 27,715 (with a goal of 25,000), thanks to 90 donors. This is 54 more gifts than last year - a 154% increase!

We had donors from 22 different states and at least one from abroad.

Please know that these outcomes demonstrate that our supporters believe in your commitment to the communities we serve. Thank you for showing up every day to contribute to our excellence. If you were a donor, this is just another example of your dedication and I thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart. --Faye

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Mary credits her work at the library with her choice of careers. It was through her association with the HHD library that she became aware of the newly created law enforcement and corrections program. “The program sounded very interesting to me, so I switched majors. My rewarding career in the criminal justice system came out of that.”

A longtime supporter of Penn State, Mary enjoys “supporting students and doing what (she) can to make their lives easier.” When she learned about the Penn State Tech Academy, she was all in, noting that it was a program she would have needed if she were a student. “ I am not very skilled in IT things, and could benefit from the Tech Academy now! In today’s world, IT skills are essential and will be even more so in the future. Students enter college with varying degrees of exposure to technology and the Tech Academy can help level the playing field for them.” A service of the University Libraries, the Tech Academy provides a basic introduction to the essential and freely available technology students will need to be successful at Penn State. The Tech Academy has seen more than 10,000 students enrolled in its programming at 19 campuses and five academic colleges. The goal of the program is to achieve digital equity among students as they learn and navigate new technologies for learning.

Visit the article written by Cori Biddle and Bonnie Imler, librarians at Penn State Altoona, Technology training for first-year students: An answer to questions asked at library service points for an in-depth overview of this valuable resource.

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Along the way, the Gresh's have given to various areas at the Library, “We try to find one thing that we feel will make a difference. It doesn’t have to be big, but something that will make a difference in either the students’ lives or at the Libraries in general,” said Susan.

Most recently, Phil and Susan supported the Conservation Centre through the acquisition of a new microscope. As a teaching aid, the Olympus CX43 RF microscope is a high-quality imaging device that is highly customizable with different lighting units, polarization fibers, and magnification objectives to fit the University Libraries’ preservation and conservation research needs. “Last fall we saw a demonstration of the microscope, which was incredible. They had staff and interns participating, it was pretty interesting. We walked out, looked at each other and said,'They need that' We thought it would be a great addition to the work they do there,” said Phil. “It was high-tech, it could move them in a different direction, help them do what they do, and help students and interns.”

Presently, the microscope is being used to examine paper fibers and biological specimens, allow student interns to research various conservation materials, enlighten staff on the composition of linen, cotton, silk, and other textile fibers used in the makeup of a book, and much more. The microscope is also equipped with a camera, which allows conservation and preservation specialists to show what they are examining to a larger audience of students.

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The Prystowskys have a long history of giving back to Penn State, especially the University Libraries, but this year, they started something new. Eric and Bonnie created the Library’s first scholarship to support our work-study students. The Eric and Bonnie Prystowsky Scholarship is designated for Penn State student applicants who are part-time Libraries' employees who also receive a federal work-study grant. The Prystowsky Scholarship awardees must also have achieved or demonstrated the potential for academic success. This scholarship is the first of its kind to be created specifically to support Libraries' work-study students, 95% of which are located at a Commonwealth Campus. The Prystowskys shared, “Our hopes are that the students will be able to pursue their academic interests in an easier way with this latest scholarship.”

Scholarships are the best way to keep a Penn State education within reach for students whose financial resources may be limited but whose potential is limitless. Partnerships with heartfelt purpose and intent, like this one with Eric and Bonnie, sustain our promise to provide access to resources that empower capable, hard-working students, regardless of their financial well-being, for lifetimes of success - with degrees that are both affordable and world-class. Our goal is for every Libraries work-study student to receive a scholarship.

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