Gift Policy and Procedures
POLICY ON ACCEPTING BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS
The library welcomes gifts of books and other library materials which will enhance our collections. The library’s collections are intended primarily to support the university’s curriculum and the research of faculty and students. Materials to be added must be useful and still valid in their subject areas. Ordinarily such works fall into one of the following categories:
- Works of scholarly value, especially books from university presses
- Literary works in good editions
- Standard works in history, philosphy, etc. in good editions
- Music or films that fit our usual criteria
- Scientific works (unless outdated)
- Works dealing with the San Joaquin Valley or any of its ethnic groups
- Works in any subject collected in our Dept of Special Collections
- Fine or special editions of any period, including facsimile editions
- Works that fill specific gaps in the collections
- Missing volumes of multi-volume works
For reasons of space and to preserve the character of the collection, the library cannot accept:
- textbooks
- mass-market paperback books
- popular fiction
- books which are marked up or which are in poor condition
The library may accept as gifts materials on religion that fit its normal collecting criteria and that it would consider purchasing. Such materials include:
- Scholarly studies on history of religion, religion in society etc
- Scholarly philosophical treatments of religious questions; general theological works
- Scholarly editions of religious texts such as the Bible, the Quran, the Buddhist classics
- Discussions of controversial questions involving religion that are issued by general trade publishers or university presses and addressed to the general public or to an academic audience. These may be added to the collection selectively.
- Detailed and specialized historical or descriptive works about a particular denomination may be added if they are useful in academic study on this campus
The library does not purchase and will not accept as gifts:
- Devotional works
- Pastoral works
- Editions of classic texts that are intended for members of the faith
- Works for the instruction of the faithful or of possible converts
- Theological materials meant for members of the faith
- Works focused on a particular locality, church/synagogue/mosque or congregation (unless they would be a valuable addition to our local-history collection)
MONETARY GIFTS FOR PURCHASE OF MATERIALS
The library will be pleased to purchase a book to carry a book-plate in honor or in memory of a person or event, in return for a donation of $100 to cover the cost of the book and processing. Library staff will select an attractive book of general interest that is appropriate to an academic collection.
GIFT PROCEDURES
The Gift Librarian will be pleased to consult with those who wish to offer materials as gifts to the library.
Ordinarily, the library accepts gifts only under condition that it can select those which are appropriate and useful for the collection and can dispose of others as explained below. Unneeded materials can be held for pick-up by the donor by special request. The library cannot assign a monetary value to gifts; donors who need such valuation must hire a qualified appraiser.
An acknowledgment letter will be sent for any substantial gift, or whenever a donor asks for one, and library book-plates with the donor’s wording can be pasted into books.
Gift materials come to the Gift Librarian for initial selection. They are stored in the Technical Services Department and are checked against the library’s holdings as time is available. Final decisions on the materials are made by the Collection Development Librarian or by the librarian in charge of the appropriate specialized collection (Music, Special Collections, etc.). Those selected are catalogued in the usual way for the general collection or the appropriate specialized collection. Note that the Arne Nixon Center and other specialized collections have their own policies and procedures.
Materials that are not selected for the collection are disposed of by sale to patrons or to a dealer in used books, or by donation to another institution, or by discard. Money from the sale of gifts is used for the purchase of library materials.
Contact the Gift Librarian at 559-278-5817 (leave a message) or at webmaster@lib.csufresno.edu.
