The UA libraries are hoping to gain some needed resources from holiday shopping sales this week, said Samuel Huang, associate dean of external relations for the UA libraries.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to the needs of the UA libraries started its bi-annual fundraiser Friday to help raise money for computers, software and books, Huang said.

The Friends of the University of Arizona Libraries are hoping to get Barnes and Noble shoppers involved in fundraising for the UA libraries, Huang said.

This year’s sale will be hosted at the Barnes and Noble at 5130 E. Broadway Blvd.

When students, faculty, staff and members of the community present a voucher for the fundraiser when they buy books at the store, a percentage of the proceeds goes to the Friends of the University of Arizona Libraries, said Sandy Vasquez, UA library program coordinator.

As the net sales go up, the percentage the organization receives increases, so the actual percentage gained from the sale varies, she said.

The book fair raised about $800 during its previous sales, which have been organized about twice each year for five years, Huang said.

The organization uses the money to buy or help buy expensive books, computers and electronic resources, such as an online subscription to The New York Times and the recently acquired Eighteenth Century Collections Online database membership, Huang said.

“”Students don’t realize how much it costs,”” he said. For example, the permanent ECCO database membership cost the UA Libraries $280,000.

The book fair, which lasts through Thursday, earns money for the libraries on sales of not only books, but also CDs, DVDs and children’s books, Huang said. Sales of gift cards,

membership cards and food sales at the Barnes and Noble CafǸ are excluded from the fundraiser.

Huang said Charles Tatum, dean of the College of Humanities, will be signing his new book, “”Chicano and Chicana Literature: Otra Voz del Pueblo,”” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow in support of the Friends of the UA Libraries.

Vouchers are required in order for the organization to receive a portion of the net sales, Vasquez said. They can be obtained at the library, at Barnes and Noble or online at the organization’s Web site, http://www.library.arizona.edu/friends.

Vasquez cautioned that people must ask for a voucher before making their purchases, if they do not get one before going to the store.

The Friends of the UA Libraries is a big part of getting outside money for the library, said Dave Baca, director of communications and marketing for the UA Libraries.

The library has several ongoing projects, including technology and software upgrades, expansion of electronic resources and the digitization of printed materials, he said.

The library has recently started digitizing materials upon request and delivering them without charge via e-mail, he said.

“”That is really starting to take off,”” Baca said.

The library’s portion of the technology fee, $15 per student per academic year, has helped pay for many of these projects, including new multimedia equipment with specialized software for the science library, Baca said. The fee does not pay for everything, though.

The Friends of the UA Libraries has contributed millions of dollars to the library system over the past five or six years, he said. The actual amount of contributions was unavailable.

The organization does not release the names of its contributors nor the amount it gives to the library, Vasquez said. It is difficult to break down donations, considering some of the contributions are concrete, like special books.

The organization contributes to all of the UA libraries and will also be involved in building a new north campus library, which has not yet begun construction, she said.