Library

Library Gifts

Brandeis University Library accepts donations of books and other materials that support the research and teaching mission of the University. Due to the high cost of processing donations, the Library also may decline to accept gift materials: declined gifts will not be returned, so we recommend consulting our acquisitions department before you send us a gift. If you do contact us, we would be grateful if you could provide a list of proposed gift materials including titles, publication dates, general condition, and estimated or appraised value of the material. If you wish to donate materials that you believe are of rare or exceptional value, please contact Special Collections and Archives.

General Guidelines

All potential gifts will be evaluated by subject expert librarians in accordance with the collection development policies of the Brandeis University Library. Accepted gifts will

  • meet a demonstrated teaching need;
  • support faculty or student research; and/or
  • fill a void in an existing collection.

Should the Library choose to accept a gift, the University becomes the owner of that material upon receipt and, as such, reserves the right to determine its retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations related to its use, maintenance, or removal. We regret that we are not able to notify donors of the final disposition of their gifts or return items not added to our collection.

Appraisal

The Library encourages donors to obtain an appraisal of their gifts for income tax purposes: such appraisals are the responsibility of the donor and cannot be carried out by the Library. Appraisals should be made prior to donating materials to the library. The acceptance of a gift that has been appraised does not constitute an endorsement of the appraisal by the Library.

Acknowledgments

The Brandeis University Library makes every effort to acknowledge gifts to the collection. Acknowledgment letters are typically dated and include a brief description of the gift. Such letters, along with an appraisal, may qualify the donor for a tax deduction, but the Library does not provide tax advice.