Bryn Mawr College Libraries General Gifts-In-Kind Policy

We are grateful to the alumnae/i and friends of Bryn Mawr College who have generously donated resources to the Libraries.

The Bryn Mawr College Libraries welcome gifts of books that meet the scope of its collecting activities, items of interest to faculty for their teaching or research and to students for their courses of study. It is in part through the generosity of our alumnae/i and friends that the Libraries are able to add depth to the academic resources available to our Bryn Mawr community. The following guidelines are offered to assist donors.

Click the links above for a printable version of the policy and related Donor Record Form.

General Guidelines

The goal of the Bryn Mawr Libraries in accepting gifts is to acquire only materials which are highly relevant to the College’s needs. All potential gifts will be evaluated in accordance with the collection development policies of Bryn Mawr College. Please be aware that gifts may be accepted in whole, in part, or be declined. While we recognize that the materials may have value to a donor and potential value to an institution, not every item or collection is a good fit for us. Thus, in order to be assured that Bryn Mawr is a responsible steward of these gifts, it may not be possible to accept all items in a potential gift. Generally, the Library does not accept textbooks, reference works, journals, governmental documents, mass market fiction, duplicates to items in the collection, nor items in poor physical condition. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Director of Collection Management in consultation with the appropriate subject librarians or faculty.

How to Initiate a Gift

We ask that all prospective donors consult with the appropriate Library staff member before making arrangements to have gifts sent or delivered to Bryn Mawr College.

* Donor inquiries for general collection gift books should be directed to the Director of Collection Management and Discovery: Berry Chamness, bchamness@brynmawr.edu, 610-526-5295

* Inquiries regarding gifts of rare books, items of historical significance, or archival materials should be directed to speccoll@brynmawr.edu and their main number 610-526-6576. Please see also the Special Collections Collection Management Policy.

Gifts delivered without prior arrangement or contact with the Libraries may not be accepted or acknowledged.

The Libraries ask prospective donors to provide as much information as possible about their collections, including title lists. The Libraries can provide guidance about the information we need to enable assessment of the collection. An on-site evaluation of the collection by Library staff may be required to determine which materials would be appropriate for Bryn Mawr. Larger collections that meet the General Guidelines above will be reviewed by the Libraries in consultation with the Alumnae/i Relations and Development Office and discussed with the prospective donor. For those larger collections, the Libraries ask prospective donors to complete a Donor Record Form (see link above). Prospective donors should be aware that the Libraries incur considerable costs in evaluating, shipping, and cataloging large collections of gift books, and those prospective costs will play an important role in the Libraries’ decision to accept a collection.

Supporting the Libraries’ Collections

Donors of gifts-in-kind to the Libraries are encouraged to financially support the shipping, processing, and cataloging of the books to ensure that the materials become available to students and faculty in a timely way. Costs will vary considerably depending upon the size, condition, language(s) and formats of gifts-in-kind. One-time financial support or the establishment of an endowment for the collection will provide funding for the organization, cataloging, processing, preservation, and reformatting (such as digitization) of collections which will facilitate access and use and enhance the learning and research experience for our Bryn Mawr community.

To discuss making an outright and/or planned gift, please contact the Director of Gift Planning: Dianne Johnson, djohnson@brynmawr.edu, 610-526-6597.

Disposition of Gifts

Once physically accepted by the Libraries, all gifts become the sole property of Bryn Mawr College. Records for all items for the general collections will be added to the Libraries’ online catalog. All items will be shelved by Library of Congress classification within the general stacks, unless other specific arrangements are made. In consultation with the donor, notes or other entries designating the gift may be entered into the Libraries’ online catalog records. Any accepted material not added to the collection may be sold, offered to other libraries, or otherwise disposed of at the Libraries’ discretion.

Donor Information

Upon receipt of the gift, donors will receive a formal acknowledgement letter from the College with a brief description of the donation. Ordinarily, the acknowledgement letter will not provide a comprehensive listing of donated materials. The Libraries are not able to provide or accept donor-specific bookplates.

Donors who wish to claim a tax deduction should consult their income tax advisor or the Internal Revenue Service website in order to understand the proper procedures and consequences. Please note that by Internal Revenue Service Regulations, the Libraries are prohibited from appraising or assigning values to gifts-in-kind or providing tax advice. If the claimed annual non-cash charitable contributions of a donor exceed $500, IRS Tax Form 8283 must be filed. Gifts claimed for more than $5,000 must be appraised by a qualified appraiser as defined by IRS guidelines. The appraisal of a gift for income tax purposes is the responsibility of the donor. Any appraisal must be completed before the accepted collection is delivered to the Libraries. Pertinent information is available in IRS Publication No. 561 "Determining the Value of Donated Property." Because tax laws change frequently, donors are advised to seek professional tax or estate counsel prior to making a gift.