Support the Libraries
Library Borrowing Privileges | Visiting the WashU Libraries | Giving Programs
No one graduates from libraries, but no one graduates without them. WashU Libraries are the academic heart of WashU. Because the Libraries support scholarship in each and every discipline taught here, gifts to the Libraries benefit the entire campus community and ensure that WashU will maintain its level of excellence for generations to come.
WashU Libraries Annual Fund Benefits
| Benefits | Friend ($50-99) | Century Club ($100-999) | Eliot Society ($1,000+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notices of library events | x | x | x |
| Subscription to the WashU Libraries Off the Shelf magazine | x | x | x |
| Library borrowing privileges | x | x | |
| Personalized virtual bookplates and online catalog entries, if applicable | x | x | |
| A campus parking sticker (upon request) | x | ||
| Limited use of the athletic complex | x | ||
| An invitation to join the Whittemore House faculty club | x | ||
| Invitations to annual events: Family Night and Eliot Society Dinner | x |
To learn more about supporting the Libraries, please contact the Director of Strategy for Danforth & University Initiatives, Rebecca Wagner, at (314) 935-9680.
Library Borrowing Privileges
Library Card Benefits
- Onsite usage of databases in any of the following libraries: Olin Library, East Asian Library, Brown School Library (Social Work), Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library, Al and Ruth Kopolow (Business) Library, Gaylord Music Library, and the Law Library.
- Check out privileges for university books (reference items, course reserves, and Interlibrary Loans not included).
- Online access only to reserve books for pickup.
- Permitted to check out up to 25 books.
Who is Eligible for a WashU Libraries Card?
Please note: If you want to obtain a library card via your Annual Fund benefits, you must first make your gift through University Advancement. Libraries staff cannot accept Annual Fund gifts onsite (cash, checks, or credit card).
- Century Club donors who designate their gift ($100-999) to the Libraries
- All Eliot Society donors ($1,000 minimum)
Obtaining a Library Card
- If you are a first-time Libraries user, please bring a copy of your pledge or gift receipt to the Olin Library Help Desk. The staff will issue you a library card.
- If you are renewing an existing card for the Libraries, please bring a copy of your pledge or gift receipt to the Olin Library Help Desk. The staff will renew your library account.
Visiting the WashU Libraries
Please see our Maps & Directions page for help locating the Danforth Campus Libraries and those WashU Libraries not on the Danforth Campus; information on visitor parking availability, accessible transportation across campus, and more is also available on the Maps & Directions page. Please Ask Us if you have any questions.
Giving Programs
The WashU Libraries have programs that offer donors a meaningful way to pay tribute to loved ones, friends, colleagues, and others.
Honor with Books
WashU Libraries’ Honor with Books program is a substantive and lasting way to celebrate a graduation, anniversary, birthday, or memorialize someone.
For as little as $100, you can honor a family member, friend, colleague, teacher, or person you choose. Each $100 increment funds the acquisition of one new book selected by a WashU librarian. The names of the honoree and donor will appear in the book’s online catalog entry with an electronic bookplate.
Gifts of all sizes make a difference; both the donor and the Libraries benefit.
- $100-$199 purchases one new book and gives the donor a one-year membership in the WashU Libraries’ Century Club
- $200-$999 purchases additional books (1 book for each $100)
- $1,000 purchases 10 books and a one-year membership in the William Greenleaf Eliot Society
- Larger gifts can be targeted for the purchase of selected collections or manuscripts for the WashU Libraries Special Collections Department
- All gifts are tax-deductible
- Notification of gifts can be sent to the honoree or the honoree’s family
Legacy of Books
Legacy of Books is a great way to express your love of books or honor others for graduations, holidays, memorial tributes, retirements, birthdays, thanks, or any other special occasion. See our Legacy of Books Wishlist for items that need support for preservation.
Preserve the Past. Protect the Future.
Imagine that the written record of human thought and endeavor was slowly disintegrating, eventually becoming unreadable. Today WashU Libraries face that daunting dilemma, as age and use take a steady toll. We must act if our extraordinary collections are to be passed on to future generations. Help us preserve our past and protect our future by giving to the Libraries’ Legacy of Books program.
The Legacy of Books program extends the life of the Libraries’ collections – not just books but also periodicals, manuscripts, government documents, rare books, and sound and moving image recordings. Repairs are done by the WashU Libraries Preservation Unit or by independent professional conservators.
A tax-deductible gift of $100 preserves one general collection library book or other item or reproduces it in another medium. Larger gifts cover multiple items or more costly conservation projects. The names of the donor and honoree will appear in the online catalog entry.
People who give to this program understand that keeping existing library materials available is as important as acquiring new ones. Some give to express their love of books, others to memorialize someone, or to celebrate a graduation, anniversary, birthday, or other special events. This generosity helps the Libraries conserve damaged or deteriorating materials faster and gets materials back in the hands of users.
- $100-$199: Donors receive a personalized electronic bookplate in one book, with the name(s) you designate listed in the Libraries’ catalog, and gives the donor a one-year membership in the WashU Libraries’ Century Club
- $200-$999: Additional personalized electronic bookplates and online catalog entries (1 for each $100 increment), and gives the donor a one-year membership in the WashU Libraries’ Century Club
- $1,000 or more: Option to select among Special Collections items for conservation, and a one-year membership in the William Greenleaf Eliot Society
Please use this form for all gift opportunities above or contact the Director of Strategy for Danforth & University Initiatives, Rebecca Wagner.