Handling gift books in libraries: a view from the US
Author(s):Kay Ann Cassell
New Library World; Volume: 106 Issue: 9/10; 2005 General review. Retrieved from
San Jose State University online database February 4, 2006. Emerald
Handling gift books in libraries: a view from the US
Kay Ann Cassell
The Authors
Kay Ann Cassell, New York Public Library, New York, New York, USA
Abstract
Purpose – To define the elements of a gift books policy.
Design/methodology/approach – Research based on a review of library gift policies.
Findings – Provides libraries with general guidelines as to what should be included in a gift book policy.
Originality/value – Provides assistance to libraries to find a way to explain to prospective donors how the
library handles donations and gifts.
Article Type: General review
Keyword(s): Libraries; United States of America; Collections management; Charitable donations.
New Library World
Volume 106 Number 9/10 2005 pp. 450-453
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited ISSN 0307-4803
Libraries everywhere struggle with the issue of gift books, also called donations. Some gifts can be very
valuable and add an important new resource to the library while others are simply not suitable for the
library collection. Librarians do not want to appear ungrateful to the donor, yet handling gifts is time
consuming and costly to the library. A gift book policy is definitely needed by all libraries. This article
breaks down the various components of a gift book policy and offers suggestions as to possible ways to
handle various aspects of dealing with gifts.
Many libraries include gift book policies in their collection development policies as the acceptance of gift
books is intertwined with the library's collection development policy. Collection development policies are
an important document for libraries. In these policies the library describes its collections and users and
discusses its policies for each aspect of the collection. The kinds of materials collected are enumerated
and the level of collecting in each discipline is described. It also describes the kinds of materials not
collected by the library. This document provides a way to develop the library's collections in a consistent
way and to communicate the library's policies to its users.
Overview
Library gift policies generally begin by stating that once materials are donated to the library, they are the
property of the library and the library has the right to dispose of them as it sees fit. Much depends on the
condition of the donations and the needs of the library's collection. Gift policies state that donations that
will be added to the library's collection are accepted under the same policies as books purchased for the
collection. For more information on collection development policies, see
Cassell and Futas (1991)
and Evans (1999). This statement helps the library to avoid adding donations to the collection that are
outside the scope of the library's collecting policies. For example, the public library might receive a
collection of books on the history of mathematics. But the library's policy does not identify this as a
subject the library collects so there would be no use to add these materials to the collection. Libraries
often state in their gift book policies that if a gift added to the collection becomes outdated, worn or is no
longer being used, it will be discarded in the same way as items the library has purchased. The library
cannot guarantee that the gift will be a permanent part of the collection ( Gift
Policy, Montana Public
Library, 1994).
Even the largest libraries have very specific guidelines for the receipt of gifts. The branch libraries of The
New York Public Library's guidelines for gifts asks that users do not bring to the branches newspapers,
catalogs or journals, old textbooks, or materials that are in poor physical condition. The Research Library
of The New York Public Library prefers to get a list of donations in advance of the donation to see if the
donation will fit within the scope of the library's collections as defined by their Collection Development
Policy. They state that “Many of The Research Libraries” most important books, manuscripts and other
materials were received as donations. In general, a gift of books or manuscripts to the library (if not
written by or for the donor) produces a federal income tax deduction for the donor in an amount equal to
the full fair market value of the donated property on the date of the contribution. All donations must be
cleared through the “Library's curatorial staff and legal counsel.” (www.nypl.org)
The Library of Congress states on its web site that “the Library welcomes inquiries about donations, but,
cannot accept everything. Prospective donors should NOT send item(s), but instead, send gift offers
identifying the item(s) to be donated” (www.loc.gov/philanthropy/donate.html). Contrary to popular
opinion, the Library of Congress does not have a copy of every book published nor does it accept all gifts
received. All gifts are, however, carefully reviewed for possible additions to the collection in the light of the
Library Collection Policy Statement. The Library says that it usually rejects individual company sales
manuals, advertisements, coloring books, elementary and high school textbooks (except in US history),
instructors' manuals, student workbooks and self-published books except for genealogies and local
histories. Books that are not added to the collections are placed on shelves in a special area so that they
can be examined and selected by federal agencies, school libraries and other non-profit organizations.
The Library of Congress also has exchange arrangements with institutions outside the United States. For
information about these arrangements, visit their web site: lcweb.loc.gov/acq/donatex.html
Cost of gifts
Libraries have come to realize that adding gifts to the collection is a costly enterprise and thus the library
must carefully consider whether the donation is worth the price of cataloging and processing it. If it is not
on a subject of interest to the users of the library, no matter how fine the book may be, the library may
decide not to add it to the library's collection. The Cornell University Library's (New York) gift book policy
recommends that the donor “consider giving a minimum of $1,000 per 100 volumes donated to help
expedite processing as well as defray cost of maintaining the material given to the Library”
(www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/giftpolicy.html). Most donors do not realize the cost of adding books or
other materials to the collection. Many times valuable collections languish at a library because there is no
money to catalog and process them. Although most libraries are not as specific as Cornell, its policy
reflects an important issue for libraries.
Physical condition
One of the difficult issues to deal with is the physical condition of the book. Donors often arrive with older
titles that are in very bad condition. They think their books are valuable so they find it hard to understand
why the library refuses to put the books in the collection. Sometimes even if the library adds the book to
the collection, the donor is annoyed that the book has very little intrinsic value because it is not in good
condition.
Disposition of gifts
Libraries have many ways of disposing of donated books that are not added to the collection. Some may
simply be discarded due to their physical condition or due to the fact that the book has dated material.
Others may be duplicates or simply do not fit within the parameters of the library's collection development
policy. These may be sold at the library's book sale, donated to another library that collects in that area or
donated to a local agency or organization. This, of course, depends on local laws or regulations.
Appraisals
Many donors want an appraisal of their gifts for tax purposes. Libraries in the US simply cannot do this
because the US Internal Revenue Service considers the library to be an interested party, which precludes
appraisals. All gifts over $5,000 must be appraised by a “qualified appraiser” in order to claim a tax
deduction. Libraries may, however, have a list of appraisers to recommend to donors.
Acknowledgement
Libraries should acknowledge all gifts. Many libraries have a standard form for materials that have no
special value. If the library receives materials of more significance, the library may write a more elaborate
acknowledgement instead of using the standard form. For example, the University of Texas at Austin
states in their policy that gifts valued at $500 or less are acknowledged by a form letter or a personal
letter from the Library Director while gifts valued at more than $500 and up to $25,000 are acknowledged
by the President of the University and gifts valued at more than $25,000 require acceptance by the
Regents. Libraries may also put bookplates in books indicating who has donated the book.
Libraries also acknowledge donors in the catalog by adding donor information to the cataloging
information. This is a visible way of thanking donors who have given valuable materials to the library and
providing a way to develop interest in future donations.
Communicating with the public
Some libraries publish brochures on gifts to alert the public to the procedures for donating gifts and what
kinds of gifts the library will accept. For example, a library in Texas stated the following gift guidelines: no
paperbacks, fiction in excellent condition with dust jackets and no more than three years old, non-fiction in
excellent shape with no highlighting and no more than five years old. Libraries often state what formats
they will accept such as books, magazines, audio-visual materials, etc. Other ideas for publicizing a gift
policy include: information on the library's web site, articles in local papers, a donations hotline phone
number, a poster in the library. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the public library has the following message for
its public: “Your gift will enrich the Santa Fe Public Library in one of two ways. When your gift book falls
within the scope of the Materials Selection Policy of the Santa Fe Public Library and does not duplicate
items already owned, it will be added to the library's collection, and …if a book is not selected by the
library's staff, it will then be sold in the Friends' Bookstore or annual books sale. Funds from the sale of
gift books are used to support library activities … ” (Bobkoff,
1999, p. 365).
Exchanges
Although exchanges are different than gifts, many of the same principles apply. Libraries should have a
policy about exchanges. Even an exchange will cost the library money in handling, processing and adding
the items to the collection. So libraries should state in a policy exactly what kinds of materials they will
accept as exchanges and whether they have any specific requirements that must be met.
Conclusion
Gift books can be a very helpful addition to a library's collection but can also mean a great deal of work
for very little return. Libraries have learned through the years that it is important to be specific about what
kinds of donations are welcome and to be specific about what happens to donations.
Ironically gifts that are discarded can cause problems for the library thus making libraries more careful
about what they accept. Although librarians make a distinction between library property discarded and
gifts discarded, the public may not always make this distinction. Thus libraries can come under
unnecessary scrutiny for disposing of unwanted gifts.
Gifts can be a problem for most libraries. They must straddle the line between promoting good will from
users and getting rid of materials not suitable for the collection. There is, of course, no easy answer, but
having guidelines to fall back on will certainly help.
References
Bobkoff, M. (1999), "A bookworm's eye-view of collection development: making use of
gift books", Public Libraries, Vol. 38 No.6, pp.364-5.
Cassell, K.A., Elizabeth, F. (1991), Developing Public Library Collections, Policies, and
Procedures, Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, .
Evans, G.E. (1999), Developing Library and Information Center Collections, Libraries
Unlimited, Inc., Englewood, CO, .
Montana Public Library (1994), Gift Policy, Montana Public Library, Missoula, .
Further Reading
Anon (n.d.), Collection Development Policies, available at:
www.diapr.lib.az.us/cdt/colldev.htm, .
Anon (n.d.), Collection Development Policy, Cornell University, New York, NY, available
at: www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/giftpolicy.html, .
Library of Congress (n.d.), available at: www.loc.gov/philanthropy/donate.html, .
New York Public Library (n.d.), available at: www.nypl.org, .