Original posting on this topic is reproduced below; the responses follow it:
From: Lisa Schulz <LSchulz_at_las-cruces.org>
We have the usual well devised book donation guidelines, but we find
ourselves subject to daily hit-and-runs with boxes of unacceptable gifts:
moldy, dirty, old, and covered with cob webs as well as tons of categories
we don't collect. What enforcement policies have others adopted to help
curb this chronic, time consuming problem? Ours is a public library, but
perhaps academic library strategies could help us come to a solution as
well. Does anyone actually place a dumpster by their receiving area, with a
sign: "Place your worn and dirty donations here"? It's tempting...
Lisa M. Schulz
Interim Head, Technical Services
Thomas Branigan Memorial Library
200 E. Picacho Ave.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Office: (505)528-4012
Fax: (505)528-4030
lschulz_at_las-cruces.org
(1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Linwood DeLong <linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>
We certainly receive these kinds of donations, too. It's hard to avoid
them altogether. We are working on a web page that will briefly describe
what we want and what we don't want, and will try to direct potential
donors there. I always try to talk with a potential donor, to try to find
out what is in the collection and what state it is in. I have been able
to head off a few disasters that way, but many people believe that anything
that is old has tremendous historic value, and few people seem to
understand what is useful or not to a library, academic or public.
Linwood DeLong
Collections Coordinator
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9
Ph. (204) 786-9124
FAX (204) 786-1824
e-mail: linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca
(2)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Tom Izbicki <izbicki_at_jhu.edu>
We put unsolicited gifts on a shelf in Acquisitions for my review. I waste
little time doing triage. Those beyond repair let discarded. Most simply
are out of scope & we dispose of them locally eventually.
Thomas M. Izbicki
Collection Development Coordinator
Eisenhower Library
Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Telephone: 410-516-7173
Fax: 410-516-8399
(3)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steve Stratton <sestratt_at_vcu.edu>
We don't have any policies in place for refusing donations. However, we
make it very clear in our paper and vocal thank yous that what we don't use
or think can be resold at an annual book sale is immediately sent to
recycling. They will take anything we don't want and pulp it for new books
we'll buy later in the year. ;-)
Steve Stratton
Social and behavioral Sciences Librarian
Virginia Commonwealth University
(4)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Laurie Mahaffey <mahaffey_at_ctls.net>
Greetings from Central Texas...
...where we get those same old dirty, cobwebby, roach-infested donations
sometimes. The unfortunate thing is that the people who have kept them
in the garage (attic, barn) way too long don't have any idea of what a
library can use, or they wouldn't donate such trash.
One of our libraries had a brochure several years ago that stated their
donation guidelines: no paperbacks, fiction in excellent condition with
dust jackets and no more than 3 years old, non-fiction in excellent
shape with no highlighting and no more than 5 years old, etc. One of the
statements on the brochure was something like: Ask yourself: if I
visited the library, would I want to see books like this on the shelf?
Would I or anyone else want to check this material out?
i don't know if they still use the brochure. It might work where people
are upfront with one another (the director of that library is from the
Chicago area, a little more assertive than most Southerners). It might
offend people in your town, and it would only take care of those people
who asked about donating. The problems are with those who drop & run.
Please e-mail me if I can be of further help.
laurie Mahaffey
Adult Services Specialist
CTLS
(5)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Sandy Campbell <sandy.campbell_at_ualberta.ca>
I think it is a measure of the value that people
place on books that they think that moldy, dirty, cob-webby
books might have value to the library, indeed, must have value to
someone. How could that text book which was my constant companion
twenty years ago not have value? Treasure to some, is junk to the
library. Occasionally, though, the boxes really do hold treasures.
While the dumpster is the appropriate repository for some of
those materials, some probably do have some residual value and for
that we redirect people to charity resale places - Salvation Army
Stores, Goodwill Industries, etc. I'm sure there are similar agencies
in your community. The key, though, is having the opportunity to redirect
-get to them before they get to you.
Graciously refusing a gift is always a delicate thing.
The question is really how do you redirect them and maintain
the respect for their "treasures". Or better yet, how do you
get donors to understand what's useful and what's not.
Some suggestions:
Put up a poster detailing the donations you really do want
and clearly indicate that other material won't be accepted.
eg: only materials newer than 2000
subject areas
Prominently publish a "donations hotline" number in the
phone book and on your web-page if you have one.
(Some of this stuff probably comes in because
people don't know who to ask. We gets lots of calls
and can nip the 45th donation of National Geographic
in the bud.)
Print a donations guideline brochure, so that library users who
have donation on their minds can take away the guidelines.
This is also a good thing to have on the web-page.
If you're getting a lot of material from the seniors' community,
people downsizing and cleaning up estates, you might want
to do articles for seniors newsletters and/or speak at
senior's events about the needs of the library, including
donations.
Check with local academic libraries and see if they have a
donations acquisitions program and more capacity to
deal with donations.
Hope that helps.
Sandy Campbell
Collections Manager (Acting)
Science and Technology Library
University of Alberta
(6)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Noel, Michelle" <mnoel_at_cumberland.edu>
We let donors know what our policy is and that their donations will be
sorted and some may be sold, given away or discarded. If the entire donation
is unacceptable, we (politely) let them know. We may expalin that it a)
doesn't meet our collection development guideline criteria; or b) may pose a
threat to other books in the collection due to mold or other factors. I find
that if you explain a policy and the reason(s) behind it in a truthful and
kind manner, most people will gladly understand and accept it. It is only
the rare donor whose feelings are hurt. Whether we accept the donation or
not, I always sincerely thank the donor for thinking of us.
Michelle Noel
Library Director
Cumberland University
Lebanon TN
Edmonton, AB Canada
T6G 2J8
(780)492-7915
Fax (780) 492-2721
sandy.campbell_at_ualberta.ca
-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Sipe [mailto:lsipe_at_usc.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 10:28 AM
To: COLLDV-L_at_usc.edu
Subject: CDL-ENFOCRING BOOK DONATIONS POLICY
From: Lisa Schulz <LSchulz_at_las-cruces.org>
We have the usual well devised book donation guidelines, but we find
ourselves subject to daily hit-and-runs with boxes of unacceptable gifts:
moldy, dirty, old, and covered with cob webs as well as tons of categories
we don't collect. What enforcement policies have others adopted to help
curb this chronic, time consuming problem? Ours is a public library, but
perhaps academic library strategies could help us come to a solution as
well. Does anyone actually place a dumpster by their receiving area, with a
sign: "Place your worn and dirty donations here"? It's tempting...
Lisa M. Schulz
Interim Head, Technical Services
Thomas Branigan Memorial Library
200 E. Picacho Ave.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Office: (505)528-4012
Fax: (505)528-4030
lschulz_at_las-cruces.org
Received on Sat Dec 21 2002 - 02:14:50 EST