Donations Policy

From the founding of the College, Savery Library collections have been enriched by generous donations of books and other materials. Savery Library welcomes such donations when they support the College’s mission of teaching, research, and service.

Terms of Acceptance

Donations are evaluated by the same standards used to evaluate new additions to the collections. Donation materials that do not meet Savery Library’s criteria may be sold or discarded. Upon receipt, all donations become the property of Savery Library, which reserves the right to retain or reject donation materials and to determine location and conditions of use.

Donation Guidelines

Savery Library generally does not accept the following materials:

  • Duplicates of materials already in the Libraries’ collections
  • Scientific and technical materials more than 10 years old, unless of historical significance
  • Outdated media formats

Acknowledgements

Savery Library will generally acknowledge donations and place a bookplate in each item added to the collection at the request of the donor.  Requests for memorial inscriptions on bookplates will be accommodated whenever possible. Bookplates are generally not added to donations in Special Collections.

Tax Information & Appraisals

The Library cannot appraise donations made to it. Donations may be considered non-cash donations under IRS regulations; however, these regulations are complex and donors may wish to consult a tax, legal or accounting professional. IRS regulations and The University of Alabama policies prohibit the Libraries from providing appraisals or from advising on appraisals of gifts. Donors may wish to read IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions and/or IRS Publication 561 Determining the Value of Donated Property and/or consult with an attorney or an accountant. Donations offered to Special Collections require discussion in advance of applicable conditions and donors should contact Special Collections prior to making a donation. Resources that may be of use to donors include:

  • The American Library Association’s Rare Books and Manuscripts webpage contains helpful information for identifying and valuing rare and old materials along with tips for locating booksellers who perform appraisals. http://www.rbms.info
  • Membership Directory, Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America (ABAA), ABAA HQ, 20 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 (212) 944-8291 http://www.abaa.org

American Society of Appraisers, http://www.appraisers.org/FindanAppraiser/FindAnAppraiser.aspx