Gift and Donation Policy
The Three Rivers Regional Library System welcomes gifts of books and other library materials with the understanding that they become the property of the library system and will be evaluated against the same criteria as purchased materials.
New books or materials may be donated to the library or presented as memorial/honor gifts upon approval by the professional librarian that the materials are suitable and consistent for addition according to the collection development plan. As requested, bookplates will be placed in each new book donated. Upon receipt of a donation, a letter acknowledging the gift will be sent to the donor and, if appropriate, to the honoree or the family of the person in whose memory the book was donated. After making the item available to the donor, and the family of the honored person, it will be subject to the same restrictions and procedures applied to regular library materials.
Used books and other materials in good condition will be accepted by the library system. The library has the authority to use the materials in the manner deemed most appropriate and beneficial to the library system. Disposal of material not meeting selection criteria may include their discard, sale, or transfer to other libraries, institutions or entities.
Funds for the purchase of library materials will be gratefully accepted. To enrich the library system’s collection and avoid unnecessary duplications, the library will select materials to be purchased with monetary donations. The library system encourages donors to place as few restrictions as possible on the funds in order to permit the most flexible use of the donation for the enrichment of the entire collection. All library materials will be housed in the library to which the funds were originally donated. Except for works of reference, they may be circulated to any of the libraries within the library system, other libraries involved in the inter-library loan network, or libraries having a reciprocal borrowing agreement with the Three Rivers Regional Library System.
The library staff may not appraise gifts or attach a value to a donation for tax-deduction purposes. However, upon request, a receipt indicating the quantity of books donated will be supplied to the donor.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD ON MARCH 9, 2017