With the fiscal year ending July 1, 2024, VCU Libraries announces that 457 donors contributed $559,184 in gifts and pledges. The types of gifts varied from planned gifts, appraised collections to cash given or pledged over the course of a few years. 

Projects that benefited from support this year include The Social Welfare History Project with gifts from The Hansan Family Foundation and The Mellon Foundation. Funding from Mellon provided for the processing of the papers of the late Jean Lokerson (1937-2016), which are focused on policy and program development for people with learning disabilities. Lokerson, a longtime faculty member in the VCU School of Education, was a pioneer of the field of learning disabilities. The Hansan gift provides support for sustaining the Social Welfare History Project into the future.

A gift of curated comics was given to expand The Comic Arts Collection in Special Collections and Archives. Items of particular interest that were donated were Abortion Eve, Our Army at War, Auto Races for Women and Lost in Space.

Other areas of support at VCU Libraries include the Friends of VCU Libraries, which functions as the annual fund for VCU Libraries. It received the majority of gifts (166), followed by the Friends of VCU Libraries Scholarship (82 gifts). Low and no-cost textbooks resonated with donors and secured 57 gifts. The Endowment for Special Collections and Archives grew from the support of 45 gifts.

Gifts were made to the Transformational Spaces Fund, which will be used for a necessary expansion to Special Collections and Archives at Cabell Library and to build a Book Arts Lab for student education on the fourth floor of the library. 

“We are so appreciative of all of the support. It makes a significant difference in our ability to provide opportunities, spaces, and resources for student success,” said Irene Herold, dean of libraries and University Librarian.