A 1935 alumna has donated a total of $110,000 to the University's library system in an endowment fund that will purchase books and other materials, but will not finance construction of a planned addition to East Pattee.

The donation by Ruth Lokken, of Greenville, N.C., is designed to support and enhance the total library system, which includes all the Commonwealth campuses, as well as the Capitol Campus in Harrisburg, said Senior Development Officer Ann Olingy. Although funds may be used to cover the costs of journals or increase special book collections, Olingy said, the endowment could finance a wide range of library purchases -- including books from various academic fields.

"The fund is important for recruitment and retention of good students and faculty," Olingy said."We have to keep up to date."

But the endowment will not help solve any seating and storage space problems Pattee is suffering, she said, noting that the library cannot use endowment funds toward future construction on Pattee.

The state appropriated $19.8 million to the University for an addition to East Pattee in an October capital budget package.

Funds from the Roy N. and Ruth Hayes Lokken Library Endowment are designated for general library use, said Jim Rhodes, director of the University's Estate Planning and Endowment Programs. This designation gives the library a "great deal of leeway" and flexibility with how the money can be spent, Rhodes said.

Olingy said Dean of Libraries Nancy Cline decides what particular types of books the library purchases based on her annual priority review.

Although Lokken's husband Roy passed away, funds from the endowment will not be available to the library while the 82-year-old Lokken is living, Rhodes said.

"We really don't know when (the endowment) money will be available," Rhodes said. "In the interim Mrs. Lokken may come back with more specific designations for use of the money."

Lokken began the endowment fund with a gift annuity of $40,000 in October, 1986. She has since made three additional donations ranging from $20,000 to $30,000.

"She has also supported the libraries through cash that we can spend now," Olingy said. "She's one of our biggest donors."

Although the University invests donors' money and does not have access to it until their death, Olingy said, donors get a current tax deduction for the gift annuities.

"I've used libraries all my life and I think libraries are a big part of any university," Lokken said, explaining her reason for creating the fund.

Lokken graduated from the University in 1935 and went on to receive her library degree from the University of Wisconsin. After teaching at various schools in Wisconsin and Ohio, she worked as a cataloger in the library at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.