– Revised Policy (Last Updated December 2021)
The George A. Smathers Libraries welcome the opportunity to accept gift donations of books and other materials that are academic in nature, enhance existing collections, are in good physical condition, and can be added to the Libraries’ collection. Acquisitions & Collections Services Department / Gifts Program staff and subject area specialists / library staff will communicate and work together to set parameters for accepting donations for addition to the collection. For truly unique or outstanding donations, please contact the Subject/Area Specialist so they can evaluate the scope and quality of the materials. Gifts Program staff and subject specialists will work together to schedule a pick-up of materials at your home or office or arrange other delivery methods.
Parameters for accepting material gifts for the library –Gift donations must be reviewed in person by a subject area specialist, deemed of exceptional quality, and accepted for addition to the collection. Alternatively, subject specialists may choose to review and select from inventory lists of materials and/or pictures of them. Materials accepted by Special & Area Studies collection managers adhere to Special & Area Studies Collection Department gift acceptance policy.
The Libraries no longer collect in the following formats, generally, although individual selectors may accept these formats based on specific collection development policies:
- Textbooks
- Popular trade paperback
- Popular magazines
- Duplicate academic journals
- Reprints, pamphlets, brochures, newsletters etc.
- Materials in poor physical condition
- Items/formats no longer collected/supported (e.g. cassette tapes, VHS tapes, Vinyl records)
The following require specific approvals and arrangements, and may be considered upon selector and branch chair approval:
- Any gift collection over 250 volumes (about 10 boxes) in size *
- Any gift collection over 50 volumes requiring special processing *
- Gifts requiring van pick up or postal charges *
- Gifts with stipulations for special handling or processing
- Duplicate titles held in the collection (unless the duplicates are located in Course Reserves or have circulation of 10 uses or more) or are in the holdings of two or more SUS libraries
- Books with imprint dates over 10 years old (certain areas can accept older books for addition to the collection – ‘Rare Books’, ‘Florida History’, some disciplines found within Social Sciences/Humanities, etc.)
- Gift donations received at branch libraries or dropped off at circulation desks/book drops may be discarded without review, according to procedures followed by each branch library. If retained, a branch library will contact the Gifts Program to arrange pick up or delivery of materials for addition to the collection.
* Authorization must come from a Dean or a Library Branch Chair
* As of January 1, 2023 gifts and donations are coordinated directly with Library Branches.