Penn Libraries
The Penn Libraries has always been a central pillar of the University, but today it is even more: it is the keystone of a new model for higher education where connectivity and access to knowledge are vital.
The Penn Libraries plays a vast and essential role in providing and supporting the use of information resources and technologies to advance the overall mission of Penn as a premier research, teaching, and learning institution. Through an unprecedented investment in digital content, the remarkable quality of our collections—which distinguish us among peers across the globe—and the outstanding resident expertise of our subject specialists, we are poised to leverage philanthropy in support of a visionary strategic plan that inspires impact and guides the scholars who will change the world.
Sam Duplessis
Associate Vice President, University Advancement
Did You Know?
Giving to the Penn Libraries Fund is the best way to make an impact. Unrestricted gifts to the Penn Libraries Fund support all aspects of the Libraries’ world-class offerings, from collections to programming to expertise. This crucial source of flexible income allows the Libraries the agility to rise to the occasion when unforeseen challenges and exciting opportunities arise.
Highlighted Priorities
- Developing collections answers the constant need to broaden and deepen available information across disciplines and offsets the high cost of providing massive amounts of digital resources.
- Endowed positions ensure secure funding for salaries, programs, and projects—and bestow prestigious recognition of the holder’s expertise, helping Penn hire and keep leading experts who uphold our high standards of learning and information curation.
- Funding for cutting-edge physical spaces will further fuel the groundbreaking work taking place within our walls. In particular, we are currently seeking support for our plan to revitalize the Zilberman Family Center for Global Collections. The new facilities will distinguish the Penn Libraries—and the University of Pennsylvania—as an international destination for students and scholars to engage with cultures and societies around the world.
“The Penn Libraries strategic plan, ‘Knowledge for Life,’ embodies our mission to nurture a lifelong connection to learning, empowering people to adapt, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to a changing world. Our success is the University’s success, and I invite you to be part of it.”
- Brigitte Weinsteiger
H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries
