Collection Development Manual
Item 3: University of Evansville Libraries Gift Policy
The University Libraries accepts gifts and contributions for the development of the collection. Especially valuable are books and journals that fill existing gaps and that support the curriculum. Gifts are evaluated by the same standards as are purchased items so that the total collection maintains high quality, consistency, and relevance to the needs of the University.
Because of space limitations and the cost of cataloging, some gifts cannot be added to the collection. Usually the library does not add issues of journals not subscribed to because of the additional expense required to keep such titles current. Duplicates of titles already held, and textbooks--especially those more than 3 years old--are usually not added. And other factors, such as condition, odor, age, or subject matter may eliminate some books from consideration. When for any reason a gift is not added to the collection, it may be sold, offered to other libraries, or discarded. Gifts are not returned nor are they kept together.
In most instances, library gifts qualify for an income tax deduction. The library, as an interested party, cannot place a monetary value on gifts; a professional book appraiser or the donor must do that. The appraisal is the responsibility of the donor since it is the donor who benefits from the tax deduction. Because of limited staff, the library cannot provide an itemized list of contributions, but the Acquisitions Librarian will be pleased to sign a list of gift titles provided by the donor. A letter acknowledging the number of gift items is always sent to the donor unless the librarian has been asked not to do so.
Revised 7/17/2003 mg