Paulson Investment Company, Inc. gives $1 million to University of Oregon

Library Special Collections Commemorates Gift by Naming the Paulson Reading Room

EUGENE—Students, researchers and citizens will have better access to historical treasures of the Pacific Northwest and other rare material, thanks to a gift from Portland-based Paulson Investment Company, Inc., the Northwest's largest independent brokerage firm.

University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer announced the $1 million gift today (Tuesday, May 23). The gift will support the University of Oregon Libraries' Special Collections, a repository housing rare books, manuscripts, historical photographs and other unique materials. The Special Collections Reading Room has been renamed the Paulson Reading Room in honor of Paulson Investment Company, Inc.

"In this increasingly high-tech world, it is gratifying to know that such a prominent Oregon company wants to help us preserve our history," said Frohnmayer. "This extraordinary gift from Paulson Investment Company, Inc., will help ensure that these precious artifacts are preserved for future generations."

"The Paulson Investment Endowment Fund for Special Collections will allow us to improve the visibility, accessibility and long-term preservation of our growing collection of resources related to the history, literature and life in the Northwest," said Deborah A. Carver, Philip H. Knight Dean of Libraries. "Special Collections is central to our status as a major research library. These resources exist nowhere else and we have a responsibility to researchers around the world to preserve them and make them available."

"Paulson Investment Company, Inc. has generously supported the university's libraries for many years now," said Carver. In 1992, Paulson Investment Company, Inc. provided funds to purchase the libraries' two millionth volume—a three-book report and atlas on the 1792 voyage of Captain George Vancouver to search for a Northwest passage. In 1999, Paulson Investment Company, Inc. created an endowment to support library technology.

"As a company, we maintain a strong commitment to Oregon education, and we are honored to support the University of Oregon Libraries' mission of documenting and preserving the state's rich history for future generations," said Chester L.F. Paulson, founder and chairman of Paulson Investment Company, Inc., and a 1958 university graduate.

Paulson Investment Company, Inc.'s most recent gift has enabled the University of Oregon Libraries to achieve one of its campaign goals of raising $1 million for Special Collections endowments. The gift also will count toward Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, the University of Oregon's $600 million fundraising initiative, which to date has raised $410 million.

About Special Collections
The University of Oregon Libraries' Special Collections and University Archives in the Knight Library include holdings of rare books, manuscripts, photographs and other historically important material. Early printing and binding, East Asian art, political and labor history, children's literature, women in society, architectural materials and the official records of the University of Oregon dating from 1872 are just a few of the areas of strength in Special Collections holdings.

About the University of Oregon Libraries
The mission of the University of Oregon Libraries is to enrich the student learning experience, encourage exploration and research at all levels and contribute to advancements in access to scholarly resources. A member of the Association of Research Libraries, the University of Oregon Libraries offer a wide range of collections and resources to support campus instruction, research and service, as well as respond to the needs of scholars by providing access to recorded information and information services.