Book Donations

Donations & Gifts

The library gratefully welcomes gifts of books or other materials in good condition suitable to our Christian academic library environment and supports the library’s mission. In the past, many vital additions have come from the generous contributions of donors. The library also accepts donations of money to aid in collection and services development.

We want to be transparent with our donors and ensure they understand why we cannot promise to add all gifts to the permanent collection. Shelving space is limited, and we wish to acquire books and materials that students and faculty will find helpful and informative. The Library reserves the right to accept or decline any gift of materials.

• We ask that anyone who wishes to donate materials contact the Library Director to discuss the donation or mail or email a donation form. Please see the Appendix for the Library Donation form. We can then select the items that will strengthen our holdings. If there are items we cannot use, we will place them in our Free Books Cart for all students and faculty. After a reasonable period, the materials will be discarded if not taken.

• The same standards and collection policies evaluate donated materials as purchased materials. Items that will not be added to the collection are the following:

• Duplicate titles

• Previous editions

• Materials in poor physical condition

• Journals or diaries (for example, Life Journals)

• Cassette tapes, VHS tapes, or any outdated audiovisual format

We are open to purchasing items with gift money if the donor expresses an interest in a specific subject area. However, it is the ultimate decision of the Library Director if the thing is appropriate and substantially adds to the collection. We will make every attempt to purchase a scholarly title in the specific field.

I will send a letter of thanks letting you know that I received the gift materials. The donor should also convey whether they would like gift-plated materials with a sticker stating the donor’s name and year.

The donor should contact the Library Director if there are any questions about the delivery of donations. Gifts can be mailed or hand-delivered to the school. Arrangements can also be made for a university staff member to pick up significant or valuable contributions.

We trust that this statement of policy will in no way discourage library supporters from contacting the library about possible gifts.