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Parents Enrichment Fund Supports Libraries
Posted 10/08/2009
MADISON, Wis. –More than four million visitors come to the campus libraries each year. The Parents Enrichment Fund has provided the Libraries with invaluable support to continue to improve the quality of life and instruction for undergraduate students. The Libraries have been able to: (1) Support and sustain important services and programs that benefit study and research. (2) Enhance individual and group study spaces for students. (3) Increase the number of reserve copies of high-cost textbooks for undergrads. (4) Support for the Letters and Science Honors Program.
Examples of how the Parents Fund money has been used during the past year include:
Writing Center Assistance
The Libraries are able to continue to support staffing a “branch” of the UW Writing Center in Memorial Library.
Student Move-In Days
Wearing ‘Ask a Librarian’ t-shirts provided by the Parents Fund, campus librarians helped students on dorm move-in days, August 27 and August 28. Librarians helped with boxes and platform beds, but it was also a great opportunity for students and parents to ask questions about the libraries, services, and study spaces. Students and librarians established good connections
Group Collaboration Rooms at Wendt Library
A partnership between the Parent’s Enrichment Fund, the College of Engineering, and the Division of Information Technology (InfoLab) has provided 
funding to create four new student group study and collaboration rooms in the Wendt Engineering Library. These rooms allow students to work in teams, to create and practice presentations collaboratively, and to engage in learning opportunities such as webinars and conference calls.
High-Cost Textbooks Initiative
To support the educational needs of undergraduate students and in an attempt to relieve some of the financial burden of students, the Libraries purchase copies of required textbooks for large, undergraduate courses at the UW-Madison. The fund has purchased more than 200 books for undergraduate use. Some of the texts (such as the copies of Thomas’ Calculus) have been checked out more than 2,500 times.
MERIT (Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology) Library
The Parents Fund has allowed the MERIT Library to update individual and group study spaces for students. The fund supported the renovation of 
spaces that were uncomfortable and that had little or no technology. Now students have more comfortable seating, tables equipped with new outlets for study and a completely overhauled instructional space, all of which allow students to stay connected regardless of where they are studying. MERIT has also been able to completely renovate an instructional space with 60 chairs and mobile tables that allows students to create learning spaces that can be individualized to their needs.
Honors Program
The Libraries have also been using the Parents Fund to support the first-year L&S Honors Program common book program. Through this program all of the 450-500 incoming first-year Honors students are sent a book during the summer written by a University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty member. The books are purchased and sent by the Libraries using the Parents Fund. The book that was chosen this year is Human Goodness by Professor Yi-Fu Tuan, from the UW-Madison Department of Geography.
With the support of the Parents Enrichment Fund, UW-Madison students continue to receive the services and programs from the Libraries that inspire learning and promote a healthy sense of community. We thank you, and our students thank you.
