Policies

Monetary gifts are accepted through the West Chester University Foundation. Collection donations are subject to the same criteria as purchased materials. West Chester University Libraries reserve the right to accept or reject donations with or without restricting conditions. Once accepted, the donated materials become property of the West Chester University Libraries. The Libraries retain the right regarding the item/collection’s storage, location, processing, access, use, retention, reformatting/digitization, and removal.  The subject focus and/or special nature of the donation helps determine which subject librarian is contacted for review. For donors wanting to donate collections that have mixed subject materials or wanting assistance with connecting to the appropriate librarian, the Collection Strategist Librarian should be contacted. For donations of rare materials, Special Collections should be consulted. 

Each subject librarian uses their own set of criteria to determine whether the material should be added. Here are some general guidelines that tend to be used: 

• Are there duplicative holdings either in the same format or another format? 
• Is the title from an underrepresented group, genre, author? 
• Does the item support the University’s teaching curriculum, faculty research, or support student success? 
• Is the item in decent condition? 
• Does the item have significance to the local community? 
• Is the item illegally copied from another source? 
• Is the item part of an incomplete set? 
• Is the item current? Or still relevant? 
• Is it a superseded format (e.g., cassette tapes, VHS tapes, 8-track tapes)? 

If you wish to provide materials of a unique, rare, or highly valuable nature please refer to the Gift-In-Kind Acceptance form.

Gifts-in-kind or donations may offer eligibility for state and federal income tax benefits but under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations, the Libraries are not permitted to appraise gifts.  Appraisals are the sole responsibility of the donor and should be completed before the donor transfers the property to the Libraries.   

Donors should refer to the IRS’s Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property for information on gift appraisals accepted by the IRS for tax purposes.  The Libraries do not pay or reimburse for such appraisals, nor does it authenticate the qualifications of appraisers or the validity of their appraisals.

For more information please contact: