School of Information and Library Science Six Pillars of Strength

The UNC School of Information and Library Science: Six Pillars of Strength 

                                                                                                            Photo by Alexander McLean

Manning Hall is the home of the UNC School of Information and Library Science. 

We are an Information School that is rooted in the values of library science: universal access, collaboration, intellectual freedom, learning, organization and stewardship. 

In many ways, these are our six pillars of strength, embodying the spirit of our School and complementing the six stately columns that adorn the beautiful entrance of Manning. The pillars and columns – together, they comprise our home. They are part and parcel of our past, present and future.

Information is our focus and our passion.  We educate leaders who shape the future of information in all contexts. We educate leaders who investigate and develop information theories as well as practices that lead the world to higher levels of prosperity, equity, and understanding. 

We are more than 4,000 alumni – distinguished leaders in our fields. We are preeminent faculty (current and retired). We are accomplished, tenacious students. We are dedicated staff.

One context that continues to be important to our School is libraries and other cultural institutions such as archives.  We are dedicated to inventing more useful libraries, to training computationally enabled librarians, and to improving the public’s skills and attitudes regarding information. Equally important to our future, we prepare professionals for careers in data management, publishing, financial and other personal services, health care, design, and technology management. 

One chief challenge is the size and shape of Manning Hall; we have been severely challenged in this regard for more than a decade.  In 2010, the School embraced this challenge with a plan for Manning Hall to accommodate our current needs as well as projected needs over the next 20 years.

The need is urgent, and the challenge is clear. We must equip our School with the resources to meet the challenges of the future, to educate the leaders of tomorrow, and to improve society today. 

A key strategy in our facility plan is a set of naming opportunities, approved in May 2011 by the UNC Board of Trustees. 

Naming Opportunities in the UNC School of Information and Library Science 

The School has an array of named giving opportunities for Manning Hall. Alumni, friends and others may invest in the School by selecting and naming a space in Manning Hall for as little as $5 thousand or as much as $50 million.  There are many ways to name SILS spaces. The most obvious is outright gifts, which can be given in a single payment or payable over three to seven years.  In addition to outright gifts, a unique aspect of our program is the ability to secure a naming opportunity via a documented planned gift—for example, by naming the School in your will, such that the School receives a gift after your life time. 

We invite you to consider for whom you might want to name a space and why. This, for many donors, is the single most exciting aspect of a naming opportunity because you will be investing in something you love, your School of Information and Library Science, by naming a space for someone you hold dear. Some donors will choose to name spaces for themselves, and we both welcome as well as encourage this kind of investment. Other donors will choose to name one or more spaces for a loved one, friend, special faculty member or other individual important in the donors’ lives.

These namings will exist in perpetuity. They will always exist even if Manning Hall undergoes a full renovation (ideally in five to seven years) or if SILS goes to a new building (perhaps in coming decades).

The importance of this kind of investment cannot be overstated.  To invest in the School is a powerful and significant act.

Examples and Features of Naming Opportunities

Wonderful spaces abound – classrooms, faculty offices, seminar rooms, the dean’s suite our Manning Hall atrium and a variety of additional interesting spaces. 

The chart herein illustrates the many ways to invest in the UNC School of Information and Library Science via a naming opportunity. This broad array includes gifts as little as $5,000 payable over three to seven years or a gift as much as $50 million. 

One of the most compelling aspects to the SILS program is the feature that allows you, if you wish, to use a documented planned gift to secure your investment and naming opportunity in the School. For example, rather than name a seminar room with an outright gift of $75 thousand payable over three to seven years, you could name the same seminar room with an outright gift of $45 thousand, payable over three to seven years, paired with a documented planned gift – which is a gift the School will receive AFTER your life time -- of $30 thousand. 

The planned-gift option, as the chart illustrates, is available for most every naming opportunity.

The School will use the outright portion of your naming gift for SILS capital – facilities and facility programming. As for the planned-gift portion, you get to designate how SILS will use it.  That could be scholarships, fellowships, faculty support, capital, unrestricted or something else. The possibilities are myriad as well as compelling. 

More Planned Giving Information

The simplest kind of planned gift is a documented bequest – in other words, you name the School in your will, and you tell the School now that we will receive a gift after your lifetime. This gift is particularly advantageous for individuals who love the School and want to support our programs but need to conserve cash during their life times. A bequest is a superb gift, one deeply valued by the School and most helpful to our future. 

Carolina also works with donors who prefer to use other planned gifts, including gifts that actually generate an income for the donor during his or her life time. To see examples of other kinds of planned gifts, visit http://sils.unc.edu/giving/ways-to-give and click on the link entitled “life income gifts.” 

Some planned gifts are irrevocable – that is, you  irrevocably promise to give the School a gift after your life time. Other planned gifts are revocable.  In general, you may use either type for your SILS naming opportunity. 

Additional Information 

For more information about these naming opportunities or any SILS giving opportunity, please visit http://sils.unc.edu/giving/investment-priorities. You may also contact director of development Stephanie Cole at stephanie_cole@unc.edu or 919-843-9378. We will be honored to work with you to make your gift to your School a reality.