Preservation Week 2021 and the Adopt-A-Book Program
The Adopt-A-Book Program
Programs and Benefits
The Adopt-A Book Program is a wonderful way for book and library lovers to express their love. A donor can pick a book, usually one in need of some restoration help, and donate money toward the program to forward the preservation and/or conservation of that book. By doing this, donors "ensure that a valuable resource will be available to researchers and book-lovers for years to come." [1]
Many, many different types of Adopt-A-Book Programs are run by different libraries, but all have the same goal--to preserve and improve collections within the institution for the benefit of future generations. For example, the Smithsonian Libraries states that donors help the institution build the collection and make more materials available through digitization (Smithsonian Libraries, Adopt-A-Book, para. 2). A donor is acknowledged with a virtual online catalog bookplate, an information sheet about their book, and a bookplate within the book itself (Smithsonian Libraries, Adopt-A-Book, para. 3).
Following is information regarding the University of Missouri's Adopt-A-Book program. Click the link to donate.
The University of Missouri Adopt A Book Program
Mizzou’s Adopt-a-Book program began in 2006 and was formally known at that time as Friends of the Libraries Adopt-a-Book. FOL has been matching gifts up to $250 per gift, with a maximum of $2,500 per year.
Since its inception, we’ve raised $53,216, not including the FOL match. There have been 320 gifts, with an average gift size of $166.
Of the 320 gifts, 168 have been $50 or less. So not every gift has a direct one-to-one correlation with a restored book. We’ve had 13 gifts of $1,000 or more, with our two largest gifts being $2,500 each. (Source: Matt Gaunt, University Libraries)
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