$30 Million for New Technology, Preservation, Collections, Archival Processing, and Financial Stabilization for The New York Public Library from Robert W. Wilson and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

New York, NY, November 17, 2004 -- Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library, today announced at the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees that the Library has received two grants totaling $30 million that will enable the Library to pursue a range of new initiatives to acquire, preserve, and improve access to materials, while also implementing a series of financial stabilization measures. The gifts comprise $25 million from financier Robert W. Wilson, and $5 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. "These two extraordinary gifts from Robert W. Wilson and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation affirm the important work of The New York Public Library's Research Libraries and help maintain the preeminence of the Library's collections and services -- all for the free use of readers," said Paul LeClerc.

Preserving the Brilliance of the Library, Gift from Robert W. Wilson
Robert Wilson's donation of $25 million is the largest single gift ever received by The New York Public Library. Mr. Wilson has been one of the Library's most generous supporters since his earliest contributions in the 1960s. "Bob Wilson's unprecedented gift will enable the Library to reach for new heights of excellence in the areas of technology, collection development, preservation of endangered materials, and accessibility of archival collections in the performing arts," said Library Chairman Samuel C. Butler. "His support comes at a crucial time and we are deeply grateful for his effort to help us build programs that will strengthen the Library far into the future."

Mr. Wilson's gift is enabling the Library to move forward on a number of initiatives that will greatly improve services to Library users. A significant portion of his gift will go toward the acquisition of new materials in print and electronic format over the next five years. In the face of inflation and decreased funding from government and other sources, maintaining adequate levels of acquisitions of materials in the Research Libraries is a challenging proposition. However, consistent collection development is of vital importance for researchers who will rely on the Library in generations to come.

A major part of Mr. Wilson's gift supports a large endeavor to catalog and process numerous enormously valuable archival collections at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. These include unique and rare materials that document the great range of performing arts history, including, for example, original costume and set designs from Guys and Dolls , Oklahoma! , A Streetcar Named Desire , Death of a Salesman , and The Miracle Worker ; the personal papers of Jan Peerce, the great Metropolitan Opera tenor; and the papers of Vincent Persechetti, the prolific 20th-century composer and teacher. Now, these and many other such previously unprocessed and therefore inaccessible collections will be available to researchers at the Library for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Wilson's gift will also support the preservation of important materials at the Library. This will include a large-scale deacidification project to protect books subject to rapid deterioration because of the high acid content in the paper on which they were printed. Funding in the area of preservation will also support archival remastering and reformatting of sound and moving image materials; the digitization of highly treasured items, including maps and Judaica; and the expansion of the Library's state-of-the-art offsite materials storage facility.

The Wilson grant will also allow the Library to make significant strides in developing the technology that has become such an important factor in improving and broadening Library services. In this area, the gift will enable the Library to develop a more robust and user-friendly online catalog; to explore the digitization of film, video, and sound resources; to expand storage and maintenance capacity; and to enhance the Library's website, which now has more than 25,000 pages of information.

Robert Wilson is a noted philanthropist who has supported many nonprofit organizations. He is a Trustee of the World Monuments Fund, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Environmental Defense. Among his numerous previous gifts to the Library are major contributions that funded the conversion of its paper catalog to a searchable digital format and the processing of a large video archive at the Library for the Performing Arts. Mr. Wilson has been a Library donor since 1966, and, with his newest gift, has given a total of $39 million to the Library.

Financial Repositioning of The Research Libraries, Grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has provided an extraordinary grant of $5 million to support the operations of The Research Libraries over the next three years, providing a crucial bridge in funding as the Library works to strengthen its finances. During the recent economic downturn, the Library increased its spending of the interest generated by its endowment to help support Research Library operations. To stabilize The Research Libraries for the future, the Library is reducing the amount of endowment interest it spends, and the grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will be used to mitigate the impact this funding reduction could have on public service.   At the same time, the Library will work to increase its endowment and to implement a number of cost-saving measures that will streamline operations. This funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will be invaluable, insuring the Library's long-term health.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has been an incredibly generous supporter of The New York Public Library since 1969. The Foundation's most recent grant brings its total giving to an extraordinary $29 million. Over the years, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has supported some of the Library's most essential operations through both outright support and with endowment funding for such activities as the acquisition and preservation of Research Library materials and the creation of a scholars center. At the same time, The Mellon Foundation has provided funding for important planning taking place at the Library, including investigating the role of the research library curator in the 21st century and determining the future of the documentation of ephemeral dance performances. The New York Public Library is extremely grateful for the continued and enlightened support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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Press Contact: Herb Scher, 212.221.7676

11/16/04