Giving Blueday 2026
| When | Wednesday, March 18, 2026 from 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | Online: Donate now |
| Event type | Other |
Help protect our staff, safeguard our collections, and contribute to an international effort to document and safely preserve the world’s cultural heritage.
Your contributions on this Giving Blueday will help us purchase a handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer for our Conservation Lab. This state-of-the-art device safely and non-destructively detects toxic elements, enhancing our ability to analyze inks, dyes, and pigments; understand deterioration; guide treatments; and verify the origins of materials.
With an XRF spectrometer, the U-M Library will join the international Poison Book Project, a collaboration to identify and document toxic pigments in historical bookbinding materials. Institutions — including our Big Ten Academic Alliance peers — are sharing data on hazardous compounds like arsenic, which was used for vivid green book covers on 19th-century books.
Find out more, and contribute to the cause!
Library enthusiast and advocate Jennifer Poteat will double your impact by matching up to $15,000 in contributions!
Giving Blueday is the University of Michigan's annual day of giving, when the global community comes together to support causes across campus.
A 19th-century wallpaper sample book and book cover, both with vivid green colors thanks to poisonous arsenic.
Share
Library contact
Denise Guillot · guillot@umich.edu
Library events are free and open to the public, and we are committed to making them accessible to attendees. If you anticipate needing accommodations to participate, please notify the listed contact with as much notice as possible.