Alapítvány a könyvtárért: közgyűjteményi forrásteremtés civil eszközökkel

This paper aims to clarify in what ways can libraries increase their – usually very tight –budget by external funds (from charity or sponsorship) to complement maintainers’ funding. To this end, the related practice of two, internationally renowned libraries, the New York Public Library and the British Library are reviewed in detail, followed by the activities and achievements in the period 2012 to present of the Foundation for the University Library, Budapest, celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2015. This foundation can serve as a model in Hungary.