Athletic Association Partners with Libraries

June 2003

Athletic Association Continues Partnership with Libraries

The University of Florida Athletic Association recently donated $83,000 to the George A. Smathers Libraries from proceeds of last season’s pay-per-view televised football games. 

The library’s partnership with the Athletic Association has lasted for more than a decade. Their assistance has been invaluable when state budgets are down and the library needs funding to provide new services or important library materials for students and faculty.

“We are proud of our long-standing commitment to the academic community at the University of Florida,” said UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley.

Earlier this year, the Athletic Association purchased the library’s four millionth volume – Urania Propitia, by Maria Cunitz. These millionth-volume books, marking the growth of our research collections, are important milestones. They signal to the academic world that the University of Florida provides first-rate support for its students and scholars.

“We will also use some of this year's funding to improve our capacity to digitize rare and hard-to-find print materials, making it much easier for students to access popular materials from their dorms and apartments,” said Director of UF Libraries Dale Canelas. “At the same time, these projects make UF’s collections available to everyone in Florida, or indeed, the world. This partnership strengthens and enriches the library, making us more responsive to the needs of our many constituencies. It also provides us that margin of excellence that allows us to do something special for our users.”

© 1999 University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries P. O. Box 117001  Gainesville, FL 32611-7001 Please read our disclaimer. Send comments and/or questions about this site to  Barbara Hood Last Updated June 9, 2003