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We encourage you to review our current priorities and to support what matters most to you.
The Michael Schwartz Library Annual Fund supports immediate needs and student-centered innovations. Choose this fund to use your gift where it's needed most, or designate one of the priorities below:

TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY   |   MEDITATION ROOM   |   LIBRARY OF THINGS   |   FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & CLEVELAND MEMORY

PRIORITY: TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY

Help reduce student costs by funding open educational resources, providing copies of textbooks, and facilitating faculty course redesign grants.

Since its inception, Cleveland State University—and its predecessor, Fenn College—has a proud legacy of providing access to higher education for all students, regardless of financial circumstances. The Michael Schwartz Library's Affordable Learning Initiative continues this tradition by reducing the cost of textbooks and course materials, enabling students to focus on learning rather than worrying about how to afford the resources they need to succeed.

Each year, CSU students face rising textbook prices that add hundreds of dollars to the cost of their education. These costs are a barrier to equity and academic performance. In some cases, students delay or forgo purchasing required course materials—leading to lower grades, diminished engagement, and even dropping out.

Our Impact So Far

Since launching the initiative, we have:

Your Gift Makes a Difference

With your support, we can expand our efforts to:

Why It Matters

Affordable learning is more than a budget issue—it's a student success issue. Students who have timely, unrestricted access to materials are more likely to persist, perform better academically, and graduate on time.

Your donation will help eliminate barriers, enhance learning, and ensure that CSU continues to be a national leader in affordability and academic equity.

PRIORITY: MEDITATION ROOM

Fund a quiet, inclusive space in the library where students can meditate, reflect, and recharge—improving mental wellness and academic performance.

Why a Meditation Room in the Library?

According to the American College Health Association, over 60% of students report feeling overwhelming anxiety. A meditation room provides a quiet, inclusive space for students to decompress, reflect, breathe, or engage in mindfulness practices—away from academic pressures and constant digital noise. It's not just a room—it's a mental reset zone.

Supports Mental Health

College students report high rates of stress, anxiety, and burnout. A dedicated space for mindfulness helps:

Improves Focus and Academic Performance

Regular mindfulness practices—even 5 minutes between classes—can:

Fosters Inclusion and Belonging

A meditation space welcomes all students, regardless of religious affiliation, background, or wellness experience. It can also:

Enhances the Library as a Student-Centered Space

Students already see the library as a place of refuge. A meditation room expands that role:

PRIORITY: LIBRARY OF THINGS

Support equity by helping us lend calculators, charging cables and adaptors, film and music equipment, human skeleton models and more to help CSU students to learn, work, create, and succeed.

Because Student Success Requires More Than Books

At Cleveland State University, we believe every student deserves access to the tools they need to thrive — both in and out of the classroom. Our Library of Things at the Michael Schwartz Library is designed to meet students where they are by providing free access to essential, everyday items that support academic and personal success.

From calculators and phone chargers to ring lights, art supplies, and even noise-canceling headphones, the Library of Things is a growing collection of high-demand resources that promote equity and academic success by easing the financial burden on our students.

Why It Matters

How Your Gift Will Help

Your gift will help us:

PRIORITY: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & THE CLEVELAND MEMORY PROJECT

Preserve the Past. Inform and Inspire the Future. Your gift helps digitize and share rare archives, expand access to historic newspapers, and preserve the voices and experiences that shaped our region.

The Michael Schwartz Library is home to two of Cleveland's most treasured local history resources: Special Collections and the Cleveland Memory Project. Our collections document the stories, people, institutions, and events that shaped Northeast Ohio — and they are vital to preserving our region's rich cultural heritage. From rare books and historic maps to photographs, oral histories, and architectural drawings, these collections serve as a vital resource for researchers, students, journalists, artists, and the greater Cleveland community.

But preservation is not passive—it demands urgent, ongoing support. Your gift helps safeguard the past and inspire the future by ensuring these resources remain accessible and vibrant for all.

Why it matters

These collections do more than archive history — they support a broad range of curricula at CSU, contextualizing and making local history accessible and meaningful for new generations. Special Collections includes rare and archival materials on Cleveland history, urban planning, civil rights, and more. The Cleveland Memory Project is a digital initiative that brings local history to life through thousands of digitized photographs, texts, and oral histories available freely online.

Digitizing these irreplaceable primary sources both preserves the fragile materials and facilitates sharing them with researchers locally and world-wide. These twin efforts support:

Our Challenges

With your support, we can expand our efforts to:

Your Gift Can Help Us:

A Legacy Worth Preserving

Every gift is an investment in our shared memory and a more informed, connected community. With your support, we can ensure that the people, places, and events that shaped Greater Cleveland are never forgotten—and always accessible.

PRIORITY: FRIENDS OF THE MICHAEL SCHWARTZ LIBRARY

Join a community of dedicated supporters who help fund events, exhibits, author talks, and other library programs that serve both campus and the community. Friends receive exclusive updates, event invitations, and recognition.

Building a Stronger Library. Enriching a Stronger Community.

At the heart of every great university is a great library. And behind every great library is a group of dedicated advocates who believe in the power of access to knowledge, preservation of history, and the success of every student.

The Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University serve as passionate ambassadors and generous supporters of the library's mission. Their contributions help enhance learning, preserve local history, promote free and open access to information, and enrich the cultural life of both campus and community.

Why Support the Friends?

Membership in the Friends of the Library is more than a donation—it's a commitment to:

How the Friends Have Already Impacted the Library

With support from the Friends, the library has:

Benefits of Membership

Why This Matters

In a time of rising costs and shifting technologies, academic libraries rely on community support to remain vibrant, relevant, and inclusive. Your support through the Friends helps sustain a space where ideas thrive, students succeed, and Cleveland's story is preserved and shared.