FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Following in the footsteps of UA Men’s Athletic Director Frank Broyles, Razorback Football Coach Houston Nutt is lending his name to support the University of Arkansas Libraries.

Broyles chaired the successful Campaign for Books in the early 1980s, bringing in $1.8 million to purchase books for University Libraries. Now, Nutt is an honorary member of the University Libraries Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and is sending a funding appeal to friends of the library and others.

"When recruiting prospective football players, I like to point to our state-of-the art facilities because I know they help to make the University of Arkansas more attractive to them when they make their deliberations before signing day," said Nutt. "When students and faculty are deliberating whether or not to come to the University of Arkansas, a key factor in that decision will be whether or not the University will be able to provide the library resources they need to support their research interests."

Over the years, University Libraries have grown to include more than just books. University Libraries maintain holdings of nearly 1.7 million volumes and bound periodicals, thousands of videos, audio recordings and research materials on microfilm. Students and faculty have fast and easy electronic access to more than 7,000 full-text resources from all disciplines to the catalogs of other libraries around the world. Even with this large amount of resources available to the campus community and the public, University Libraries still need more.

The most recent Association of Research Libraries survey indicates that University Libraries have a considerable ways to go to catch up with peer libraries in the size of holdings. In 2001-2002, the number of volumes held by the University of Kentucky, for example, was 2,936,426, with 80,672 volumes added that year. By comparison, the University Libraries’ holdings were 1,662,183, and the budget allowed only 23,573 volumes to be added. This limited buying power is a major factor in preventing the University Libraries from becoming nationally competitive

Carolyn Henderson Allen, dean of University Libraries, said, "In light of the University’s goal set by Chancellor John White of increasing enrollment to 22,500 students by the year 2010, and of staying competitive with its peers at all research levels, the University Libraries must increasingly look to the generosity of donors to help meet the needs of a growing student body and expanding academic programs to better serve our students."

No student fees are designated toward University Libraries.

"Quite simply, the University of Arkansas Libraries need your help," Nutt said. "While they received $28 million of the extremely generous gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation of $300 million to the University, all but $5 million of this gift is to be held in an endowment that will generate interest for addressing research needs in the future. Although this funding is generous and much needed, if the Libraries’ electronic and print holdings are to keep pace with major peer research libraries, more funds are needed."

Friends of the Library and others will receive a letter from Nutt along with an informational brochure this week.

To make a tax-deductible gift to University Libraries call (479) 575-3238. To make a gift online, visit http://pigtrail.uark.edu/annualfund/ and click the "Make a Gift Online" link.