The Yale Library Associates was founded in 1930 “to help keep the Library in its proper position as a great world-collection of books indispensable to the University whose heart and center it constitutes.” Supporters are kept informed about Library news, and are invited to lectures, exhibitions, openings, receptions, performances, and symposia throughout the year. Topics range from ancient texts to modern literature and music, and supporters are encouraged to share their interests with others. Donations to the Yale Library Associates have been, and continue to be, essential to making the Library the world-class institution that is today.
Today, University Librarian Barbara Rockenbach uses unrestricted gifts and endowment income from the Yale Library Associates to help build and preserve the Library’s world-class collections while offering a wide range of services to meet the needs of its diverse clientele. In these times of economic uncertainty, the flexible and readily-accessible resources provided by unrestricted gifts are especially important for the Library. For this reason, the Yale Library Associates Trustees now recommend that all new gifts to the Yale Library Associates be made without restriction, so that they may be used by the University Librarian to address immediate challenges and seize unique opportunities. In this way, the Yale Library Associates will continue to play a crucial role in the Library’s success.
If you are interested in supporting the Yale Library Associates, we encourage annual gifts at the following recognition levels:
Associate: $1-$99
Friend: $100-$249
Sponsor: $250-$999
Patron: $1000-$4,999
Benefactor: $5,000 or greater
All those who have given $50,000 or more to the Yale University Library, whether cumulatively or in a single gift, are recognized and honored as "Life Members" of the Yale Library Associates (a title that harkens back to the time when the Associates were a dues-based membership organization).