Skip to Main Content

Donations Policy

Donations Policy

Policy Statement:

The Knight-Capron Library accepts donations of resources that add value to the Library’s collections, relate to current curricular needs, and are of use to the University’s students, faculty, and staff.  View the Library's Collection Development Policy for more information on the maintenance of our collections. 

Donating Items


Donations of 10 or fewer items may be delivered to the Circulation Desk on the first floor of the Library without advance notice.  Anyone intending to donate more than 10 items must notify the Library of their potential gift in advance by filling out the itemized Donation Form on the Library webpage. A Library staff member will review the form and notify the donor about which items will and will not be accepted.  The donor and the staff member will then coordinate a drop-off date/time for acceptable items.

Approval of Donations


The Director of the Library makes the final decision on acceptance of donation.  The Library will dispose of rejected items via donation, reselling, or recycling.  It is not responsible nor sustainable for the Library to accept or retain all donated materials.

Conditions and Exclusions


All donated items must be in good condition and published within the last 10 years. The Library positively will not accept:

  • Items in poor condition (worn, yellowed, damaged by water or some other substance, torn or broken bindings, loose pages, heavily marked, etc.) 
  • Items with mold or mildew
  • Textbooks on any subject 
  • Duplicates of existing resources
  • Print periodicals
  • Material formats not collected by the Library (CDs, VHS cassettes, audiobooks, etc.)

Gift in Kind Form


When the accepted items are dropped off, the donor will fill out a paper Gift In Kind form, which is required by the University Office of Advancement for all donations of any type. Neither the library nor the University can legally estimate the value of items donated.

Donors may also place donations of 10 or fewer items at the “Leave a Book, Take a Book” shelf near the Dell entrance, space permitting, with no need to complete the Donation or Gift In Kind forms.

Approved By: Jenny Horton, Library Director

Last Updated: 3 April 2022