Senior Conservator Endowed Matching Fund

In October 2012, the Libraries received a $1.25 million challenge grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a new senior conservator position in Preservation Services.

This grant comprises $1,000,000 as a permanent endowment and $250,000 to establish the new position. The Libraries has until October 2015 to match the $1,000,000 to generate funding to create the endowment fund a permanent Senior Conservator position.

The creation of this position will dramatically increase the Libraries capacity to care for the fragile rare books, manuscripts, maps, and drawings in Special Collections, by allowing the Libraries to perform more complicated conservation treatments in-house. Projects we’ve had to turn away in the past will be possible.

This position will require a new dedicated work space with a state-of-the-art ventilation system. A 3,000 square-foot space will be created from an existing storage room in Suzzallo Library. This space will also require funding and there is a $2,500,000 naming opportunity to create and equip the space.

The Senior Conservator position and Conservation Lab will also expand the Libraries education and outreach efforts, and be a regional resource as we build on partnerships with other libraries, archives, and museums in the Pacific Northwest, and it will help train the next generation of conservators – at the University of Washington and beyond.

Make a gift to the Libraries Senior Conservator Endowed Matching Fund