The Hunter College Libraries considers donations of books and other library materials. The Libraries can refuse any gift that does not fit with its needs or mission.
We don't accept:
- Duplicates of items already held in the collection, except for titles that are heavily used, classics in their fields, or expensive to replace
- Periodicals including journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.
- Instructor’s copies, editor’s editions, and advance copies
- College-level textbooks of a general survey nature published primarily for classroom use
- Workbooks, lab manuals, materials in three-ring notebooks, and user manuals associated with a particular task or a particular version of a product
- Government documents
- Maps and atlases
- Microforms
- Vertical file material
- DVDs, CD-ROMs, VHS tapes, and audiobooks
- Auction catalogs
We accept:
- Hardcover and paperback books, including children's books, and faculty and alumni publications
- Archival materials (such as personal papers and organizational records) per the Archives and Special Collections acquisition parameters.
- Monetary gifts at the discretion of the Dean of Libraries. Such funds will be placed on deposit and expended by the Libraries in accordance with the terms of the gift.
Gifts by subject area
Gifts from donors allow us to acquire titles we could not otherwise purchase. To meet the needs of Hunter students in all disciplines, we encourage donations in the following fields that meet this criterion:
Humanities:
Copies of current or “classic” literature in English, Russian, or in the study of philosophy; recent publications in fiction, poetry, memoir, essays, literary criticism; contemporary plays; recent works on theatre design, theatre directing, music, musicology, and ethnomusicology.
Social Sciences:
Memoirs and recent publications from academic presses in area, ethnic, and interdisciplinary studies; recent monographs published by academic presses in history and political science.
Natural and Health Profession Sciences:
Recent publications in anthropology, biological sciences ethics and interdisciplinary studies; scholarship in emerging topics, research methods, animal behavior, and human sexuality in psychology; assigned textbooks in chemistry, nursing, physical therapy, and medical lab sciences published within the last five years.
Acknowledgment of gifts
The donor will receive a letter of thanks acknowledging the number of items accepted for donation. Unsolicited and anonymous gifts or sample copies will not be acknowledged. Appraisal of donated material is the responsibility of the donor; we do not assign value to donated material. Donors may wish to consult IRS Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property at http://www.irs.gov/publications/p561/index.html. Donors who require signatures on IRS form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions, should be aware that the form must be approved by the College's legal office, which can take time, so they should plan accordingly.
Faculty publications
Single copies of recent faculty publications received as gifts are placed in the circulating collection for use by the Hunter College community.
Terms of acceptance
Potential gifts will be added to the collection after the items have been evaluated by the same standards that apply to materials being purchased. The Libraries will determine whether items received as gifts should be integrated or discarded, recognizing that all gifts incur processing and storage costs. Accepted donations become the property of the Libraries and the Libraries may keep or dispose of materials at its discretion. All donated materials must be in reasonably good physical condition to be accepted into the collection. The Libraries will not accept donated material with conditions or stipulations. Gifts are not accepted from religious groups or organizations. Unwanted material may be given to another library, offered to students, sold, or discarded.</p?
Procedures for donating materials
To assess the fit of titles for the Hunter College Libraries’ collection, prospective donors must provide an inventory of their offered items. Only items selected from the inventory by the relevant librarian subject specialist will be accepted by the Libraries. Selection is based on the individual librarian’s evaluation and professional judgment, recognizing that all gifts incur processing and storage costs. Due to a high volume of inquiries and the additional labor required to evaluate prospective gifts, we cannot offer a timeline for review of the inventory and acceptance of materials.
Prospective donors should contact the Collections and Acquisitions Librarian at book.donations@hunter.cuny.edu to receive instructions for creating an inventory.