Texas A&M University Libraries' Donors Create Opportunities for Aggie Students
By Richard Nira, Communications Coordinator & Ivy Mestrovic, Communications Specialist
Students enjoy new furniture in the annex provided by Libraries donors.
Texas A&M University Libraries depend on the generosity of donors to support initiatives that accelerate student, faculty and staff success.
"People assume we're 100% funded by the state, and we're not," said Adelle Hedleston '88, development manager of the Libraries. "we're about 30% funded by the state. So, when we need extra support for a rare acquisition for our special collections, or for a program or project, we rely on donor gifts to make this happen."
Reducing Material Costs for Students
A 2020 survey revealed that 65% of university students don't purchase at least one textbook per semester due to the high cost. For students attempting to purchase course materials on a student's budget across multiple classes, this quickly becomes a significant expense.
"Many students forgo purchasing expensive commercial textbooks simply because they can't afford them," said Hedleston.
To help students with these costs, the Libraries established OpenEd, an innovative Libraries initiative that will reduce student spending on course materials. A foundational piece of OpenEd is the donor-supported Open Educational Resources (OER) program. Put simply, OERs are free online books and course materials that professors can adopt, adapt or create for their classes.
Donor gifts funded the cost to purchase and develop OER library materials and increased the University Libraries Course Materials Affordability Program Endowment, a powerful open-access textbook initiative that supports the university's mission to minimize the cost of higher education.
The endowment helps the Libraries acquire e-books and streaming media licenses to replace commercial and printed textbooks, and funds measures to incentivize Aggie faculty education and participation in OERs.
The OER concept also helps librarians come to the rescue when textbook emergencies happen. In one biology course, a vendor shipped the wrong textbook a week after classes started. The professor turned to the Libraries for help.
"The librarians did their magic, presented the professor with open-access textbook options, and one of them was adopted," said Hedleston. "Just one semester of using an open-access textbook in this class saved students a total of $600,000. It's the amazing generosity of our donors that has allowed us to continue these cost saving."
The Class of 2019 established an endowment with their class gift, becoming one of the first donors to support OERs. More recently, in 2021, the Friends of the Texas A&M University Libraries funded OER Learning Circles, in which Aggie faculty teamed up with librarians to explore the development and implementation of OERs for specific topics or courses.
In 2022, the Libraries received a big boost in this effort from the Crawley Family Foundation. The foundation established the Course Materials Affordability Program Endowment and gave additional funds to support current OER needs. The generosity from these donors supports Texas A&M's goal to minimize the cost of higher education.
Since its inception in 2017, the Libraries' OER initiative has helped Aggies save more that $2.5 million in textbook costs.
New Furniture
The first-floor common area of Sterling C. Evans Library has new furniture, thanks to the generosity of The Hamill Foundation. Mobile and reconfigurable tables and chairs and high-demand study booths for groups were installed in the spring of 2023. High-top and bar-height powered seating and benches were also installed and have become popular meetup spots for students.
"The Hamill Foundation is a longtime supporter of the Libraries, but the relationship between Claud B. Hamill and Sterling C. Evans goes back even further," said Hedleston. "They were both in the Texas A&M Class of 1921. So, it is good to see both of their legacies continue."
Through innovative cost-saving programs and the purchase of modern furniture for study areas, donors continue to ensure that the Libraries meet their commitment to help Aggies succeed.
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About Texas A&M University Libraries
Comprising five unique libraries, the Texas A&M University Libraries are a hub of resources, spaces and professionals supporting the success of research, learning and teaching. The Libraries’ advance student success and partner in innovative research, while providing a physical and digital home to all students, staff, faculty and researchers. To learn more visit library.tamu.edu
