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.