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The Yusuf Ahmed Alghanim Main Library at Birzeit University was constructed in 1985 through a generous donation from the Alghanim Industries in Kuwait. The building can accommodate over 500 persons and houses close to 120,000 volumes. The four-story building has facilities for students and researchers, with large study halls and a number of private rooms for individual study. The Library provides vital access to information on academic, scientific, technological, cultural and social issues to the over 5000 University students and faculty that regularly utilize and depend on the resources available within the Library. In addition, the Library serves students from other Palestinian universities, high school students from private and public schools, and individuals and local institutions in the community. The University student population is regularly increasing as are the number of graduate and undergraduate academic programs. As new programs develop faculty members are being challenged to further develop their skills and widen their base of knowledge. As such, they are in need of access to information to develop course materials, provide references for students and carry out their own research projects. The University is interested in developing the Library’s capacity to serve the growing University’s information resources needs. A gift in any amount earmarked for the University library will greatly assist in this process. Specifically the University is seeking support for two priority interventions: Endowments for Periodicals A gift of $10,000 will enable the University to establish an endowment to support the annual subscription of one periodical in perpetuity. An important resource of information at the library is its periodical collection, which includes journals in the various fields of knowledge including humanities, engineering, sciences and commerce. By creating endowments for the periodicals, Birzeit University will be able to ensure its continued ability to respond to the emerging information needs of the University, in particular, and the society, in general, in perpetuity. Endowed periodicals can be named in honor of the donor or in tribute to another individual according to the donor’s wishes. Development of Library Electronic Resources Limited financial resources and advancements in technology have shifted the focus of the University Main Library to start providing information to end users through electronic resources such as CD ROMs and Internet databases. The Library is in need of funds to cover the cost of both the purchase of CD-ROMs that could be accessed via the University network and to pay for access to on-line pay per use databases. The on-line databases would be used to obtain the full text of articles not found in the print holding of the Library through the present document delivery services. |
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