Harry Ransom CenterThe University of Texas at Austin

Capital Campaign

The Harry Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum. Its extensive holdings provide a unique record of the creative process of writers and artists, deepening our understanding of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts. Thousands of scholars, students, and cultural enthusiasts from around the world study materials from the collections each year. These collections also inspire original exhibitions and programs that offer visitors opportunity for enrichment, discovery, and delight. The Ransom Center advances the study of the arts and humanities and fosters an environment where culture thrives.

As a dynamic center for the humanities, the Ransom Center is a world-class resource for the students and faculty of The University of Texas at Austin. Its celebrated collections help shape the teaching and research agenda at the University and offer exceptional learning opportunities for students, who can see, and in turn be inspired by, the original texts, artwork, and photographs they study in their courses. The Ransom Center is one of the treasures that distinguishes The University of Texas from institutions throughout the nation.

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Campaign Priorities

From early drafts to completed masterpieces, many of the world's most important cultural materials are part of the Ransom Center's collection. But like all living things, a vital research collection must grow, evolve, and lead to new discoveries. Culture is dynamic, and the Ransom Center must continue on its path of collecting the work of great writers and artists to maintain its position as one of the world's premier research libraries, a place where students, scholars, and other visitors can learn from the works of the past and observe the evolution of our culture.

In this new century, the Ransom Center must continue to strengthen its collections, enhance its curatorial capacity, create additional opportunities for scholarship and study, support preservation projects, develop new exhibitions and programs, and expand its technological capabilities to bring its collections to ever widening audiences. In short, to maintain its preeminence in the world of research libraries, the Center must continue to reach for excellence in all areas of its operations. To support these aspirations, the Ransom Center is embarking on a $15 million capital campaign, in conjunction with The University of Texas at Austin, which it aims to complete by 2014.