Uni celebrates $129,000 support for library

Tuesday, 30 September 2003

Members of the South Australian community who have donated to the University of Adelaide's Barr Smith Library Appeal will be the focus of a special thank you event tonight in the library's heritage-listed Reading Room.

The event is to celebrate the raising of funds to support the various and unique collections at the library.

The Barr Smith is South Australia's biggest library, with more than two million items in its collection. It serves a major role in education and research at the University of Adelaide, as well as for students and staff of other universities and the general community. Donations to the library play an important role in maintaining that collection, with benefits for students, staff and the community alike.

In 2002, the sum of $49,976 was raised in the library's first ever appeal, which drew more than 330 donors.

So far this year, the library's second appeal has already raised more than $50,833, with more than 430 donors contributing.

In a separate appeal - the "Filling the Shelves" appeal to raise money for dentistry journals and related publications - 45 donors have pledged more than $29,000 to the library.

This takes the total of donations and pledges to $129,855.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor James McWha, the Chancellor, Mr Robert Champion de Crespigny, and other senior members of the university community will publicly thank donors at the event this evening (5.30pm, Tuesday, September 30).

"We are extremely pleased and grateful to the community for showing its ongoing - and increasing - support for our collections at the Barr Smith Library," says University Librarian Mr Ray Choate.

"As well as the money donated to the library, we have also received several major donations in the form of books, journals and other publications, theatre, opera and concert programmes, and several thousand classical music CDs which are used by students in the Elder School of Music.

"All of these contributions help the library to continue to play an important role in the life of our students, in the development of research and professional interests of staff, and in the interests and life of the community. For that, we thank our many donors."

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