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Support the UB James Joyce Collection Campaign

“Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”

James Joyce, “The Dead,” Dubliners

As the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of James Joyce materials, the UB James Joyce Collection aims to invite a broad global audience to discover and experience the literary achievements of the acclaimed Irish writer.

To increase its visibility and expand public access, a comprehensive campaign for the UB James Joyce Collection has been launched. Part of the University at Buffalo’s larger Boldly Buffalo campaign, this campaign will help secure the UB James Joyce Collection’s world-leading legacy for generations to come.

At the center of this campaign is the proposed UB James Joyce Museum, envisioned for historic Abbott Hall on the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. While the UB James Joyce Collection has been an international destination for scholars since the arrival of the first acquisition in 1950, it has never had a dedicated public exhibition space. Currently, the collection is raising funds for a design consultation that will create an immersive visitor experience befitting of this expansive and unique literary archive. Two challenge grants are available to help donors enhance the impact of their support for this project: UB alumnus Steve Still made a $100,000 challenge gift in June 2021 to match all gifts in support of the James Joyce Museum Fund up to $100,000 made by June 16, 2022. In addition, the design phase of the James Joyce Museum has been selected to receive a prestigious Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  UB Libraries is required to secure $300,000 to unlock the NEH’s $100,000 in funding. Help make this vision a reality by making a gift to the James Joyce Museum Fund today!

In addition, the UB James Joyce Campaign aims to secure endowment funding for a James Joyce curator, acquisitions and preservation, and programming and exhibitions.

For more information:

Shana DiCamillo
Director of Advancement for University Libraries
shanadic@buffalo.edu
716-881-7485

Make Your Tax-Deductible Gift

  • James Joyce Collection Endowment Fund

    Supports the UB James Joyce Collection and the acquisition of new Joyce-related materials.

  • James Joyce Museum Fund

    Supports the establishment of a proposed James Joyce Museum, envisioned for Abbott Library on UB’s South Campus. The museum will offer for the first time a dedicated public space for visitors to experience the UB James Joyce Collection.

  • Michael Groden Fund for the UB James Joyce Collection

    Established by Dr. Michael Groden, the Groden Fund supports the UB James Joyce Collection, including the purchase and preservation of materials related to other Irish and Irish-American poets and artists who credit Joyce as a major source of inspiration.

  • Dr. John Bishop Memorial Visiting Scholar Fund

    Established by Dr. Joseph Valente, the Bishop Fund provides travel support for visiting scholars and graduate students working on projects at the Poetry Collection related to James Joyce and modernism.

Stepping Forward

Stephen E. StillWhen the University at Buffalo Libraries announced plans for a James Joyce Museum during the unveiling of a 36-foot-tall Joyce mural in downtown Buffalo, Stephen E. Still, BS ‘76, stepped forward with a $100,000 challenge gift in support of the project.

Still was introduced to UB Special Collections in 2014 in a bit of Irish serendipity, when at a UB scholarship gala he bid on a whiskey and cheese reception with family and friends hosted by the Libraries’ Poetry Collection. “When I saw UB owned such renowned materials, I wanted to support its key acquisitions even more,” Still said.

He is now making an additional bold investment to help the UB James Joyce Collection—the world’s largest—become more accessible and visible to a broader global audience. Poetry Collection Curator James Maynard appreciates both the timing and the impact of Still’s generosity. “With the 100th anniversary of Ulysses coming quickly in 2022, the gift will harness the growing momentum of this literary milestone and help bring awareness and additional support for UB’s Joyce Museum,” says Maynard.

Still hopes his gift will inspire others to follow his lead by matching all gifts received in support of the UB James Joyce Museum up to $100,000 between now and June 16, 2022. And he is doing so in memory of Mr. Terry Gaffney, who along with his family attended Still’s initial reception in the Poetry Collection. Says Still, “This gift is made in his honor. A man of great intellect and warm heart, he welcomed me and my partner Terrie into the warmth of his family. He wore the tartan of Scotland but embraced the depth of Irish culture.”

To participate in the Stephen E. Still, BS ‘76, Challenge for the UB James Joyce Museum, contact Erin Hartnett, director of advancement for University Libraries, at ehhartne@buffalo.edu.