From Dean Rick Clement
“The Library is the heart of the University”
—Charles William Eliot
As the new Dean of Libraries, I have quickly come to appreciate the great resource the University has in both the Merrill-Cazier Library and its exceptional staff. The Library is the University's intellectual center, a place where students and faculty engage with one another and with ideas both past and present. It is where we create the knowledge of the future.
The award-winning, state-of-the-art Merrill-Cazier Library is one of the most notable developments on Utah State University's campus in many years and is a focal point of activity, providing a welcoming, technology-rich environment in which there is plenty of space for both individuals and small groups to research, study, and think. The Library stands as an intellectual beacon for all of the University and truly is, as Harvard's Charles William Eliot affirmed, the heart of the University.
We are well positioned to meet the transformative challenges of an information-rich society, both in teaching students how to cope with the massive influx of undifferentiated information and to provide access to high-quality information that will serve the University's research and teaching missions in Logan, at the regional campuses and centers, and around the world. As the University (and society at large) is being transformed by technology, the Library is increasingly critical to the success of the University. We know how to meet these challenges and ensure the success of the University's faculty and students. But in this period of transformation to a digital future which maintains a commitment to the heritage of the past, we need your help.
“A gift to the Library is a gift to the whole University.”
Library Campaign Goals: $5 Million
Building the Endowment to Support the Acquisition of Important Collections
A Library's collection is its foundation, whether in the traditional paper format or exploring the new digital resources. Students, faculty, researchers and the general community are the benefactors of the rich heritage created by the collection of materials and resources within the Merrill-Cazier Library. The recently acquired Van der Pas History of Science Collection and the Prestini Design Collection are only a few of the unique pieces that enrich the Library collection. The challenge that the Library faces is its ability to have the funding to act quickly when these exceptional compilations of resources become available.
The Library Acquisitions Endowment was established several years ago to address the growing need for a funding source that could be utilized to acquire these rare resources. It is the Library's goal to build this endowment to $1,000,000. Through the generosity of many library supporters, the endowment has grown to over $300,000. Contributions to the endowment have come from all kinds of donor, such as a simple $25 monthly payroll deduction to a $5000 contribution by a Logan company.
Creating Unique Collections for the Future
Gone are the days when students must come to the Library to view its most unique collections. With today's technology, students and scholars worldwide have convenient web access to some of our most treasured collections. Digitizing priceless items like the De Viller's Book of Hours, an illuminated manuscript from the 15th century, or any of the rare and significant materials housed within the walls of the Library's Special Collections and Archives, makes them easily available for study, research, and reading without a trip to the Library and without wear and tear on irreplaceable originals. Digital access to these materials enriches the experiences of our students and is transforming how research is conducted. For example, students reading the common literature experience book about a Japanese-American family in an internment camp during World War II had access to a wealth of items selected and digitized to support their reading. They could read issues of Trek, the literary magazine created by detainees at the camp, or browse Ramblings, the yearbook created by students at the camp school. Rare reports from the now-defunct War Relocation Authority provided them with a comprehensive look at the background, operation, and aftereffects of this painful episode from our country's past.
These digitized collections can be your legacy to future generations. A gift of $20,000 or more can underwrite the creation of an entire new digital collection. Smaller amounts can help add new items to our ongoing collections such as the Bear River Watershed Historical Collection or the prestigious Van der Pas History of Science Collection.
Preserving the Past
Special Collections and Archives serves as the "primary resource" research center for the USU campus. The collection is home to a wide array of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and archival material that document the history of the region, the university and beyond. Faculty, students and the public from all disciplines depend upon these unique resources to learn and write about the past and its effects on the future.
Help make these collections accessible to the public by donating to the Special Collections Endowment, underwriting a collection, or sponsoring or participating in an Oral History. Also consider donating your own primary source materials.
Supporting Students
Library Internships offer an academically-oriented student employment opportunity for undergraduates and graduate students. These student interns serve essentially as apprentice librarians. Their jobs provide opportunities to sharpen research skills, gain experience in customer service and teaching, and learn about operations in several library departments. Many interns go on to graduate work in Library and Information Science and careers in librarianship.
Special Collections and Archives internships allow students interested in pursuing careers in public history or library science to receive employment in the archives, while pursuing their degree. This " hands on" experience helps prepare students to work in these and other information fields. Each student intern creates a signature project during his or her internship.
| Undergraduate Internship | $100,000 |
| Graduate Internship | $250,000 |
Supporting Librarians
Endowed positions provide the most lasting support to our most talented and inspiring librarians. These named endowments help us attract and retain librarians who will shape the lives of thousands of students.
| President's Endowed Dean's Chair | $3,000,000 |
| Endowed Department Head or Curator | $1,500,000 |
| Librarian | $1,000,000 |
| Library Fellow | $500,000 |
| Visiting Librarian | $100,000 |
Additional Library funding opportunities that can make a difference for the whole University:
“Every gift to the Library, no matter how modest, combines to enhance the educational experience of every USU student, today and tomorrow.”
- Contribute to the Annual Fund through gifts of any size.
- Make a memorial gift or honor a friend or family member (minimum gift for a bookplate, $75).
- Make a memorial or honorific gift of a library chair or table.
- Name a group study room or study lounge.
Click here for ways to make a gift.
To inquire about other naming, endowment, and recognition opportunities, or for more information on the needs and campaign goals of the Merrill-Cazier Library, contact the Library Administration offices at 435-797-2631.