Music Librarian as Development Officer: Raising Funds for Special Collections

Over the past ten years, advances in technology have led to increased productivity and efficiency in nearly every area of librarianship. As a result, many music libraries across the United States are either beginning a special collections program or are turning to these collections for digitization; as special collections often consist of older materials no longer under copyright, they become priorities for digitization, which also affords a critical preservation benefit. As these collections grow, so does the need for funding, which is essential to their proper archival storage and long-term preservation. A review of the literature finds that little research has been published in the area of special collections fundraising, particularly specific to music; therefore, this article summarizes the literature and attempts to apply it to music special collections fundraising. Topics covered include grants and grant writing; employing a development officer or becoming one yourself; Friends\u27 groups; and, annual funds and other fundraising methods

Crowdfunding in Libraries: An Analysis of Library Crowdfunding Project Data

Crowdfunding is one of the newest strategies libraries are using to connect with donors. While the past several years have produced a consistent trickle of reports about libraries using crowdfunding to extend traditional fundraising activities, research thus far has largely been constrained to case studies and surveys. By studying 174 library and archive projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, this research determined that library and archive crowdfunding campaigns raise more money on average and are more likely to successfully meet their funding goals than typical Kickstarter campaigns. Additional findings regarding types of projects crowdfunded, types of libraries crowdfunding, and amount of campaigns launched over time are discussed. This study hopes to support library practitioners in judging the feasibility of crowdfunding as a practical fundraising strategy and determining the contexts in which crowdfunding is most likely to be successful.Master of Science in Information Scienc

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