The Many Facets of Friends’ Support
Each year in April the FSCL Executive Committee votes on a budget based on membership contributions. This budget provides direct support for the libraries in the following ways.
Young Science Library
Hillyer Art Library
Strengthening Library Collections
Each year, a portion of Friends income is devoted to supplementing the acquisitions budget. This allows librarians to add a variety of print or electronic materials not covered by the libraries' budget.
Improving Library Spaces and Equipment
The Friends have championed the creation of a new reading room in Neilson, and have raised over $100,000 towards this goal. In 2006, the Friends contributed $6,000 towards the creation of the Information Commons in Neilson. In 2003, the tulip chairs in Hillyer Art Library were reupholstered with funding from the Friends. In 2000 the Friends purchased ILLIAD software to improve Inter-Library Loan service to students and faculty.
Supporting Students
Gaining an understanding of the complex range of library resources and services available at Smith is essential to a successful academic career. To encourage student participation in library orientation events, the Friends offer each attendee a small copy card credit.
Students who work in the libraries play a fundamental part in library operations. The Friends' celebrate their work by purchasing books to honor graduating student library assistants and hosting a reception for students and their families on Ivy Day.
Building Endowment
Providing for the long-term well being of the libraries is a concern of the Friends. Several endowments have been created to address specific needs. Over $40,000 has been donated to the FSCL Preservation Fund in recent years to help protect valuable library materials.
Supporting Staff
The Friends provide an annual staff development grant to enable library staff to pursue unusual training opportunities. This has been used recently for training in information literacy evaluation.
Supporting the Smith Community
Each year, the FSCL hosts a limited number of events at the library for members and the Smith community. These are often inspired by treasures in the collections, faculty research, or other library related topics. See Upcoming Events and Selected Past Events.
