Friends of the Libraries give $30,000

G ifts totaling $30,000 to the University from the Friends of the Libraries were announced at the group's 27th annual meeting and dinner last month.

Harold Stanley, Friends' vice president and professor of political science, detailed the 1999 funding decisions by the Friends' executive committee to 90 members present. Library projects receiving funding for this year are:

• $15,000 to the River Campus Libraries to develop a core collection of music resources such as scores, recordings, and books for the new Art and Music Library in Rush Rhees Library. This new combined library, formerly known as the Art Library, will provide much-needed resources for the Bachelor of Arts in music program offered by the College;

• $6,500 to the Edward G. Miner Library at the Medical Center to purchase an important new electronic resource, The Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy, which will support students entering the medical school's new "double-helix curriculum" beginning this fall;

• $6,000 to establish a Friends of the Libraries' Graduate Dissertation Fund to support the purchase of library materials for University doctoral students; and

• $2,500 to the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School to initiate the development of a digital video disc collection.

Allen Spencer, president of the Friends executive committee, noted that the 1998-1999 academic year witnessed the acquisition of the 3 millionth volume at the University libraries. "In symbolic recognition of the 3 millionth milestone, we decided to allocate $30,000 for these projects," he said. "Although this is a bit more than we generally give, the Friends are delighted to be able to help the libraries further their mission of supporting teaching, research, and learning at the University of Rochester."