Centennial Campaign for the Renewal of The Bancroft Library

Sharing the Past, Shaping the Future

Campaign Goals and Objectives

The Bancroft Library stands today as the premier special collections library of the University of California, and among the finest in the country. Its collections contain hundreds of thousands of rare and unique books, millions of historic and literary manuscripts, photographs, diaries, and letters, and thousands of original paintings, drawings, prints, and rare artifacts. The Centennial Campaign for the Renewal of The Bancroft Library was initiated to ensure the library's ability to safeguard and make accessible these materials--the original sources of our history.

In 2002, the University of California's Office of the President mandated the immediate seismic renovation of the Bancroft building. The state and the University provided $32 million needed for the project. This seismic renovation will address the structural integrity of this fifty year-old building.

However, an additional $32 million for the reconfiguration and expansion of the building must be raised from private sources. The Centennial Campaign for the Renewal of The Bancroft Library was created to raise these funds, which will meet Bancroft's pressing needs by:

• Creating a remodeled facility to provide enlarged and improved storage, research, and teaching areas for collections, instructional programs, and curatorial workspace.
• Expanding gallery and exhibition space to provide the public with a better understanding of and improved access to the Bancroft collections.
• Enhancing scholarly and public access to Bancroft with redesigned and more efficient spaces for the reading room and circulation services.
• Installing up-to-date heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to support the ongoing preservation of rare and unique historical collections.
• Implementing state-of-the-art systems to protect collections from fire, water damage, theft, or other loss.

The centennial of The Bancroft Library in 2006 provides an exceptional opportunity to advance Bancroft's mission and vision--and to meet the priority needs. This greatly improved facility will allow future generations of students and scholars to continue to benefit from this remarkable library.

Campaign Update