Gift Books

The Auburn Public Library is happy to accept donations of new books and used books in good condition, as well as donations of other material such as DVDs, and CDs. Once items are donated to the Library they become Library property and may be used in whatever manner the Library deems appropriate.  Items not added to the library collections may be sold, given away or discarded.

Please use the following guidelines when donating material to the library.

Condition: Books must be free of mildew, mold, excessive dust and dirt. In addition, books should not have more than minimal water damage, or excessive spine damage, any missing pages or missing covers.

We do not accept:

  • Encyclopedias
  • Cassettes, VHS tapes or computer software
  • Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
  • Textbooks
  • Media (DVD, CD, etc) without original artwork
  • Magazines

Gift Books Policy

The Auburn Public Library seeks to fulfill the fundamental principles of public library service and information services based on our community’s needs.  One of the primary ways it strives to meet these needs is with a collection of relevant materials in sufficient quantities and standard formats.  These materials:

  • Satisfy recreational reading, listening and viewing preferences.
  • Assist in the pursuit of self-directed personal growth and development.
  • Provide for information and answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to work, school and personal life.
  • Supplement academic resources and services for K-12 students who are enrolled in formal education programs or who are home-schooled.

The greater Auburn community supports the Library’s collection not only through tax dollars, but also with cash and in-kind donations. The Library welcomes these donations to assist in developing and building a collection that caters to the diverse needs of its users.

Memorial and “In Honor” Gift Books

Because the Library must maintain the flexibility to develop its collection in response to the goals expressed above, we are happy to accept monetary donations for the purchase of books in memory or in honor of an individual, but are normally not able to accept gifts of books that are selected by the donor. Donations of any amount are appreciated.

The donor may request a preferred subject area for the book(s) to be purchased. The Library will honor this request if possible, making every attempt to purchase titles relating to specific subject areas designated. The Library reserves the right to expend donated funds to purchase titles that are most relevant to its collection using the APL’s selection criteria.

In instances of a donation of $50 or more for popular/general interest books or $100 or more for oversized or reference titles, the Library will affix a bookplate inside the front cover or flyleaf of the memorial/in honor book, designating for whom and by whom the gift is made. This threshold for book plating provides the necessary funds to cover the Library’s overhead expenses to review, select, catalog, process and maintain a book in our collection, as well as to pay for the cost of the book.

Memorial or In Honor gift book donors will receive a letter acknowledging their gift within thirty days of the book’s receipt. The acknowledgment will include a citation of the book(s) purchased.

Local organizations, which in the past have donated frequently to the Library in memory or honor of individuals will be notified of policy changes by December 2004.  These organizations may continue to donate less than $50 for book-plated titles until July 1, 2005.

Review and Acceptance of Gift Books Given In-Kind

The Library accepts in-kind gifts of new books and used books in good condition.  Only titles that meet the APL’s selection criteria are added to its collection.  These criteria are used for all materials considered for inclusion and are designed to develop a balanced and relevant collection of materials on a wide variety of interests to the community. The Library would be happy to discuss its selection criteria with donors.

Donors who wish acknowledgment of in-kind gifts may leave their name, address and number of books donated with Library staff.  The library will not indicate a value in the acknowledgment letter.

Gift Assessment Amount for Tax Purposes  

For tax purposes, it is the donor’s responsibility to appraise the value of gifts or accept the value per book designated by the Internal Revenue Service.  As of February 2005, the IRS requires an appraisal for items valued at $5,000 or more.  Library staff members will not perform appraisals.

Retention of Donations

Once books are donated to the Library or memorial/in honor books are added its collection, they become Library property and may be used in whatever manner the Library deems appropriate.  Although every effort is made to accept only materials appropriate for the APL collection, the Library does not guarantee that all gift items will be added to its collection. Inappropriate titles or duplicates of items already in the library collections may be sold, given away or discarded.

The APL does not guarantee that gifts added to the collection will be kept in perpetuity. The Library’s collections are weeded regularly based on APL collection development guidelines. All items in the Library’s collections are subject to these same guidelines for retention.

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