Over 200 guests joined the Penn Libraries in mid-November to celebrate the dedication and naming of the “Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts” at the University of Pennsylvania.
The new space, centrally located on campus, is named in honor of Jay I. Kislak and his family, who were on hand for the celebrations. Kislak and the Kislak Family Foundation donated $5.5 million to the Penn Libraries to complete the $17 million renovations to the 5th and 6th floors of the Van Pelt-Dietrick Library Center. This is the largest cash gift given to the Penn Libraries from a living donor.
Kislak is an avid collector of books and artifacts and a longtime supporter of the university. A graduate of the Wharton School in 1943, he is the first of three generations of his family to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. Younger generations include his son Philip T. Kislak who graduated in 1970, and her granddaughter Elizabeth Kislak, a 2010 graduate. The Kislaks’ donation also includes a number of rare books and manuscripts from the family’s collections.
University president Dr. Amy Gutmann presented Kislak with a symbolic key sharing, “I am so pleased to present you with this key, a symbol both of our deep gratitude and of the worlds of knowledge you have unlocked through your great generosity to this university. You have made vast resources accessible in a profoundly transformative way for generations to come.”