Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education. Kathryn Dilworth & Laura Sloop Henzl. Amsterdam: Chandos Publishing, 2017. ISBN 978-0-08-101130-0. $78.95. 181 p

Denton, A. Blake

English

DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

The Southeastern Librarian Volume 66 Issue 3 Article 5 Fall 10-1-2018 Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education A. Blake Denton Huntingon College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/seln  Part of the Information Literacy Commons, Scholarly Communication Commons, and the Scholarly Publishing Commons Recommended Citation Denton, A. Blake (2018) "Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education," The Southeastern Librarian: Vol. 66 : Iss. 3 , Article 5. Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/seln/vol66/iss3/5 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Southeastern Librarian by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.  8  The Southeastern Librarian    Michelle holds an M.L.S. from North Carolina Central University in Durham, an M.A. in ecology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in political science from San Diego State University in San Diego, California.  Carl Leak has been appointed as Health Sciences Librarian.  In this position based at the Health Sciences Library, Carl will respond to reference and search requests from health disciplines including allied health, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health. He will provide instruction through workshops, course sessions and online modules, and will assist users to effectively select and use information tools and resources.    Carl will also partner with colleagues to advise clients on information sources, data management, scholarly communications and emerging library services.  Prior to this appointment, Carl was Systems Biology and Life Sciences Librarian at the Mercer Library at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia. He has held positions in medical and health sciences librarianship at Howard University’s Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library in Washington, D.C., and at Winston-Salem State University’s C.G. O’Kelly Library, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Carl holds an M.L.S. from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina; an M.A. in English with a concentration in technical and professional communication from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina; and a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.     BOOK REVIEWS  Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education. Kathryn Dilworth & Laura Sloop Henzl. Amsterdam: Chandos Publishing, 2017. ISBN 978-0-08-101130-0. $78.95. 181 p.    In this timely work on academic library fundraising, authors Kathryn Dilworth and Laura Sloop Henzl offer a valuable contribution to the discussion: insights from their combined 25 years’ worth of relevant experience in nonprofit fundraising, including library philanthropy. As they aptly point out, academic libraries are often the most challenging department of the university to fundraise for because most donations are given to particular colleges or departments of a university from their alumni. This reality is problematic for the majority of academic libraries because their respective institutions do not offer MLIS degrees. Thus, most of these libraries do not have a base of alumni to draw contributions from as other departments do. Despite the challenges that arise in philanthropy, this book demonstrates that there is great potential in fundraising for  Volume 66, No. 3, Fall 2018  9  the academic library, whether such efforts include creatively adapting approaches traditionally used by other departments of higher education or in introducing innovative approaches that reflect the changing role of the modern academic library.    Dilworth and Henzl meticulously organized their work for ease of navigation. The book is divided into three main sections: 1) the introduction (which includes a general introduction of the work and an introduction to library culture), 2) cases for giving, and 3) tools for giving. Each chapter is divided into distinct subsections by topic. This precise layout enables a reader to reference the table of contents to find the authors’ commentary on a particular subject such as individual annual giving or corporate matching. It is also worth noting that this book was written in a simple, yet engaging prose so that scholars and members of the general public alike can consult and peruse this work.    The study begins with a summary of the findings of previous scholarship on academic library fundraising, starting with Andrew Eaton’s seminal article in 1971. Significantly, Eaton himself predicted that academic librarians would become increasingly engaged in fundraising efforts. Another intriguing observation made in this review of the literature is that every author since Eaton has felt compelled to argue the necessity of fundraising for the academic library. Dilworth and Henzl ultimately follow suit. This case for fundraising is made perennially because many in the profession largely oppose fundraising since these efforts clash with their personal beliefs about the role of the library in providing information services. This book argues that it is crucial that librarians overcome this reluctance because philanthropy can actually ensure that their institutions are able to better carry out their mission.  In explaining their own inspiration for producing this work, Dilworth and Henzl state that: “The idea for this book arose when we realized that development professionals in higher education didn’t seem to recognize the value of the academic library because they don’t understand the breadth of service to the campus, much less beyond” (p. 84). The same is also said for students and the general public. Librarians must work to dispel the commonly held perception that the library solely exists as a brick-and-mortar storehouse of books and print journals in order to make greater strides in obtaining philanthropy for their institutions.    Though this work argues that many traditional approaches to collegiate philanthropy can and should be adopted by the academic library (such as establishing student scholarships and creating endowed faculty chairs and named spaces), the authors rightly suggest that it is paramount that library faculty inform and convince development professionals and potential donors about the relevance of the modern academic library. In particular, it is important that librarians explain to all stakeholders the importance of information literacy and technology in the library, the unique role the library performs in educating users about these skills, and how potential donors can contribute to the library’s effort in equipping and preparing students for their future. The significance of information literacy is emphasized as the “single greatest case for philanthropic giving in the library portfolio” (p. 27).   A central theme throughout the book is the need for collaboration with partners across the university in fundraising efforts. This is most evident when considering the desired audience: “Whether you are a dean, faculty member, development officer, or other staff in higher education, this book is for you” (p. 11). This is also apparent to the reader as they progress through the work. At certain times, the book directly addresses librarians. In other places, development officers are the target audience. Furthermore, every chapter concludes with a section entitled, “A fundraiser speaks to an academic librarian.” In addition to summarizing the main points of the chapter, these presumably fictitious conversational dialogues between two friendly colleagues also underscores this work’s emphasis on cross-departmental collaboration in fundraising efforts for the academic library.   While Dilworth and Henzl cogently make their case for successful academic library fundraising, the “success stories” found throughout the book are arguably the greatest attribute of their work. These stories, copiously placed throughout the book, are accounts by librarians, archivists, curators, and development professionals from institutions all over the United States that serve as supporting evidence of the effectiveness of the various fundraising approaches advocated by the authors. These testimonies conclusively demonstrate that this book is not merely a presentation in theoretical possibilities, but a compilation of solutions that have already been instituted at various academic libraries throughout the nation.   One of the more intriguing discussions is the “Partnering with athletics” section. This passage suggests that forging a partnership between the academic library and athletics department can be mutually beneficial and emphasizes how such an arrangement can provide the library with lucrative publicity. What special programs or services would the library need to offer to the athletics department to secure this profitable partnership? Unfortunately, the authors neglect to explain the library side of the equation, leaving the reader in the dark. Though examples of partnerships are given, they do not describe what those libraries offer in exchange for the benefits they receive.   This minor critique by no means discredits the quality of Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library. Dilworth and Henzl are to be commended for providing LIS and development professionals with a fresh, thorough playbook that provides strategy after strategy for increasing philanthropy for the academic library. Anyone interested in maximizing fundraising for their institution should obtain a copy of this work and closely consult it.   A. Blake Denton Huntingdon College   

Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education

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Successful Fundraising for the Academic Library: Philanthropy in Higher Education

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