The Campaign for VCU Libraries
When you make a gift to support the new library building, you are investing in the success of every single student at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Our students work hard and study hard. They need library spaces and collections open to them for long and late hours. Two million patrons a year come in our doors—for research guidance, to check out laptops and tablets and, yes, books, to connect with study partners in collaborative workspaces and to seek quiet spaces for focused concentration. And our collections—digital and print journals, books, media and more—remain an essential, indispensable foundation for the extraordinary research, scholarship and teaching of our world-class faculty.
A private fundraising campaign for the new library building is underway. There are opportunities to name a space, make a general gift of support or contribute to an endowment fund to support future generations of VCU students by helping the VCU Libraries meet the ongoing physical needs of its buildings. Your gift ensures future VCU students access to the very best library spaces and resources for their academic success.
In the News
- New building on fast track, on schedule and budget set
- New one-stop service desk debuts at Cabell Library
- Media checkout streamlined
Please Support the Project
To learn about giving opportunities, contact Kimberly R. Separ (M.A.'97/A), director of development and community relations, at (804) 827-1163 or krsepar@vcu.edu.
“The library is the center of everything. It’s the hub. Today, we need more space to support the research of the university and more room for special collections. We’ve made strides in providing different types of study areas for students, but in order to continue to better serve our students and all who use the library and to become accredited as a research library, we simply need more space.”
-James T. Moore III, 2012-13 president, Friends of the Library Board
The Details
- 156,000 square feet project
- 93,000 square feet of new construction
- 63,000 square feet of improvements to the existing building
- Appox. $50 million total project cost
Then and Now
1975--James Branch Cabell Library completed and designed to serve 17,000 students, seat 2,000 students and house a maximum 1 million volumes.
2012--James Branch Cabell Library serves 32,000 students, seats 1,250, and houses 2 million volumes.
