Gift Policy

Giving to the Lawrence University Library

The Lawrence University Library welcomes and encourages monetary and in-kind gifts, relying upon donors to help preserve, support and expand the extraordinary collection and services available to students and scholars from the Lawrence community and beyond.

Gifts of materials can enhance existing collections or form the basis for building collections in new areas of scholarly interest. We will consider all formats of research materials, including books, journals, sound and video recordings, photographs, and manuscripts; however, we are unable to accept all offered materials.

Monetary gifts may be directed to a variety of uses, including the purchase of materials for the collection, the delivery of innovative services, or the support of special program areas.

As charitable donations, gifts to the library may constitute a tax deduction for the donor. Internal Revenue Service regulations make it the responsibility of the donor to obtain legal advice on tax deductions, to arrange for appraisals for materials of significant value, and to maintain an inventory of materials donated. To find a suitable and qualified person who can perform an independent appraisal of your gift of books or archival material, consult the web site of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.

Lawrence University Library Gift Policy

Since its founding, the Lawrence University Library has benefited from gifts of books and other materials. We welcome donations that fall within the scope of our collections and that support the university's curriculum and research needs. We are happy to accept materials that are scholarly or rare that will benefit today's students and the students of tomorrow.

Gifts of Money

Funds for library purposes are always welcome. Information on making a designated gift to the Lawrence University Library may be obtained by contacting the University Librarian or Lawrence University's Office of Development.

Gifts of Materials

Lawrence University Library accept gifts of books and other library materials with the understanding that, upon receipt, Lawrence University becomes the owner of the materials. Donors will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift (PDF), assigning ownership to Lawrence. The Director of Technical Services, with advice from the University Librarian, will select materials for inclusion into the Library's collections based on their present and future value to our students, faculty, and staff, and on their condition. We reserve the right to handle materials that are duplicates, or otherwise unsuited for the collection, as we feel will best serve Lawrence University. This may be through donation to another institution, sale, trade, or recycling. The Library will normally not accept restricted donations.

No library collects everything, and every gift requires evaluation for its suitability to the collection and its condition before a decision is made to catalog, process, and shelve it. For this reason, we carefully evaluate all potential gifts in order to use the Library's resources wisely. Large collections that are not suited for the Lawrence University Library will be regretfully declined. We may be able to assist the would-be donor in finding more appropriate locations for his or her materials.

Gifts of Music Materials

The Mudd library will consider donations of music-related materials: scores, CDs, videos, books, and journal issues. The library no longer purchases or accepts donations of audio tapes, or 33 1/3 (LPs), 45 or 78 rpm recordings. An exception may be made in the case of original archival recordings by Lawrence University faculty or alumni. All music-related gifts must follow the Gift of Materials policy above.

Appraisals and Tax Information

Donors are required by the Internal Revenue Service to obtain their own evaluations. As an interested party, the Lawrence University Library is not allowed to provide appraisals. We may be able to suggest alternative avenues for determining value. The Library will acknowledge all gifts by letter. Additional acknowledgement may be received from Lawrence University's Office of Development. Limitations of staff prevent us from preparing lists of gifts received.

Delivering Gifts of Materials

Small gifts, usually a boxful or less, may be delivered directly to the Director of Technical Services. Arrangements for the delivery of larger gifts should be made through the University Librarian.