Support the Library
The Bioethics Research Library of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics has received support from many organizations and individuals over the past 37 years. The result is an unequaled research library staffed by information professionals who offer expertise in law, medicine, philosophy, religion, and languages, as well as the technical skills to deliver 21st century information.
In order to ensure the long-term future of this valuable resource and collection of services, the library needs your help. There are many ways to support the library’s critical work. If you’d like to receive more information about any of the opportunities listed below, or to share your ideas and comments on ways to enhance our resources, please contact us.
Help Spread the Word
We have tracked millions of accesses to the library web site, and hundreds of thousands of searches on the databases, but we want more people to know about our resources and services. You can help us by directing your students and colleagues to our site.
Make a Gift
Annual contributions to the library directly support its mission by providing immediate funding for the collection’s maintenance and expansion. To contribute today, please go to the secure online giving form and choose “Bioethics Research Library” from the “Direct your gift” drop-down menu.
Enrich Our Collection
- Send us Your Publications: The library welcomes copies of your published work. Given the interdisciplinary nature of bioethics, we may not subscribe to a publication featuring a relevant article. We will automatically include journal articles from the major bioethics journals. Gift Donation Policy
- Contribute Your Syllabi to the Exchange: The Syllabus Exchange Project has more than 600 syllabi, accessible by faculty member, institution, instructional setting, and subject. All are now available as full text online. See the Syllabus Exchange for more details.
- Send Items from Your Personal Library That Are on Our “Wanted” List: Help us fill gaps in our library collection by donating books and/or journal issues to the library. See a complete list of both books and special issues of journals that we have been unable to acquire. Please email Lucinda F. Huttlinger, Acquisitions Librarian, to provide her with information about what you plan to donate.
- Make a Donation to the Library Book Fund for New Purchases: Donations to the book fund should be directed to: Lucinda Fitch Huttlinger, M.L.S., Acquisitions Librarian, indicating the subject area you wish to support. A bookplate recognizing your contribution will be added to the purchased books.
Increase Access to Bioethics Research
The International Bioethics Exchange Program (IBEP) supports libraries in developing countries by donating more than 20 volumes of the annual Bibliography of Bioethics both to long-established and newly-created special libraries interested in furthering bioethics research. (see the IBEP web page for more information). We also provide supplemental materials, such as full sets of Scope Notes, compact discs of special collections and reports (such as the digital archive of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission), and other duplicate materials given to the Bioethics Library. To date, 63 libraries in 48 countries have become members.
IBEP relies entirely on donations for the shipping of the materials. In the past, several embassies have shipped the volumes; in other cases, individual donors have subsidized the transfer of materials. Unfortunately, effective May 2007, the U.S. Postal Service discontinued media bag shipping, causing a 200 to 300 percent increase in shipping costs. If you as an individual or your organization can sponsor a library in the developing world, please contact us. This worthwhile project ensures that basic bioethics literature is available in remote places with limited information access.
Leave Your Legacy with an Endowment or Planned Gift
Ensuring the long-term viability of the Bioethics Research Library requires a stable source of funding that only an endowment can provide. In addition, an endowment would enable the library to grow and expand as dictated by its overall goals rather than those of grantmaking institutions. Endowment gifts are invested by the library and, when fully funded, generate a steady stream of funding. Endowment naming opportunities exist for special collections and an endowed chair for a librarian.
Another way to leave your mark on the library is through a planned gift. Planned gifts such as bequests enable you to make a charitable contribution now or after your lifetime while enjoying financial benefits — for example, by increasing your income, earning valuable income-tax deductions and reducing your estate taxes.
For more information about endowment or planned gifts to the library, please contact Linda A. Powell, Kennedy Institute Administrator.
