Gifts and Donations

Gifts and Donations

Athens High School (AHS) Library Media Center encourages and welcomes donations of books and other suitable materials to the Library's collection with the understanding that the gift will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria and objectives by which purchased materials are judged (see the Library Collection Selection Policy, pg. 19-23). Gifts and donations become the property of AHS and may be retained or disposed as is deemed appropriate.

Criteria for evaluating gifts –

Gift materials will be evaluated by the same criteria as is used for purchased materials. Specific considerations may include some or all of the following:

§ material is of a topic which falls within the scope of the collection

§ material is in good or excellent condition

§ material is timely and not out-of-date

§ the Library does not already own duplicate material

Acknowledgement of Gifts -

Gift items/memorials will be formally acknowledged if the donor wishes. A Book/Monetary Donation Form – AISD Libraries will be filled out to assure that complete and correct information is collected about the donation, and if necessary, a selection will be made by the Library Media Specialist. The Library will identify memorial / “in honor” gifts by means of a special bookplate that names either the donor (or organization) and the person (or organization) in whose memory / honor the item is given. Donor slips should be given to the donor and duplicates kept in the Library Media Center records. A letter of appreciation from the Library Media Center and/or the school should be sent to the donor.

See Appendix I: Book/Monetary Donation Form - AISD Libraries

Monetary gifts –

Unrestricted monetary gifts will be used at the discretion of the Library Media Specialist in accordance with this gift policy and/or the Library's Materials Selection Policy. Restricted monetary gifts will be accepted on the condition that the specific use requested is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Library.

Appraisal policy -

The Library does not affix a dollar amount for donations accepted for inclusion in the collection. If requested, the patron may receive a statement from the Library enumerating the total number of books, paperbacks, or other items that the Library has deemed appropriate and acceptable to add to the collection. It is the responsibility of the donor to list the titles of the items, and affix a value if necessary.

Final disposition of materials not added to collection -

Materials will be added to the collection if, once they are evaluated, it is believed that they will add value to the collection. The donor must be made aware (at the time of the donation) that items not added to the collection will be disposed of by sale, exchange donation, or discard. The donor has the option of retaining the materials if the Library determines that they are not suitable for the collection.