The University of Idaho Library actively seeks and welcomes donations. Financial contributions are used to purchase books and journals, equipment, or, are placed in the endowment fund for anticipated library expenditures. Please contact Lynn Baird, Dean of Library Services, for specific information.

Gifts in kind include books, periodicals and other materials that broaden and enrich our holdings. You may also support the library by joining Library Associates, a friends organization.

How To Make a Donation

The Gift Supervisor will discuss the donation and coordinate the transfer of the gift. The Library provides empty boxes for book transport. If possible, bring the gift to the Library loading dock (Rayburn Street west entrance). Campus personnel may have a single box picked up and delivered by campus mail staff. Send to Mail Stop 2373.  Larger shipments must be delivered or sent at the donor's expense. The Gift Supervisor will help disabled or elderly donors pack and transport donated materials.

Materials useful to the Library include; hardback books, quality paperbacks, journals, music, DVDs, scores, maps, U.S. and Idaho government documents.

Purchasing Material to Donate

Many donations include materials from private collections, however, individuals or organizations may wish to purchase new items to complement the collection.

Subject librarians are pleased to discuss subject area and price range with potential donors. Individuals or organizations are invited to donate journal subscriptions. Subject librarians coordinate journal selections. The Gift Supervisor arranges subscriptions and acknowledges gifts.

Specialized Materials to Donate

Materials relating to the history of the University of Idaho, Idaho and the Pacific Northwest, Sir Walter Scott, Ezra Pound, etc. (which may includes books, manuscripts, letters, archives, diaries) are received through Special Collections. It is helpful to read "Donating to Special Collections." Please contact Special Collections for further information.

Gifts in Kind

Gifts in kind include books, periodicals and other library materials.  Historically, donations are an important part in building the University of Idaho Library collection. Gift books augment the UI collection by providing books otherwise unaffordable, replacing lost or worn materials, and furnishing additional copies of heavily used titles. Gifts are added to the collections if they are useful and selected by the subject librarians. Materials that cannot be used are donated to other libraries, sold on sales lists, placed on the sales shelf in the library, or recycled.

Items Not Accepted for Donation

Not all material donated is useful to the Library or saleable. The kinds of material not useful to the UI Library collection nor readily saleable are: newspapers, newsletters that are NOT local, photocopies, reprints of journal articles, weekly periodicals more than three months old (i.e., Newsweek, Time), materials in poor condition (not repairable due to water damaged, active mold or fungi, warped, missing or damaged pages or covers, etc.), press releases, or textbooks more than three years old. It can be difficult to determine what material might be unique or add significantly to the University of Idaho collections. Please contact the Gift Supervisor University of Idaho Library with any questions or concerns.

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The Library becomes the owner of the gift upon receipt. UI Library reserves the right to determine retention, location, and other use or disposal of gifts. Gifts which are useful to the teaching, research and goals of the University, and which do not unnecessarily duplicate the library holdings, will be retained. Discarded materials are sold, transferred, or recycled.

A letter acknowledging each donation and specifying the number and type of items presented is sent to every donor. A copy of the letter is sent to the UI Foundation. Their response includes a "no stated worth" declaration unless the donor provides an estimate of worth at the time of donation.

Upon request a bookplate may be added to items recognizing the benefactor or honoree.

In most instances gifts are tax deductible. Donors wishing to take a deduction from their annual Federal income tax may want to consult IRS publication 526,Charitable Contribution and/or publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property, both available from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and in the University of Idaho Government Documents collection. On the Idaho Tax Form you will find instructions for your allowable deduction under "Credits for Contributions to Education Entities". Donors may wish to discuss the tax considerations with an attorney or accountant.

An appraisal is required to substantiate a deduction of more than $5,000 for a non-cash gift. The Library can not legally appraise gifts. The Gift Supervisor may provide the names of appraisers in Idaho, Washington, and Montana.

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• Sales lists
  Sales lists are organized by category. Categories include Monographs (mono104, and mono105), Geology, Special, Serial, and Exchange. The sales lists are in Adobe PDF format.
  Generally, these materials have a minimum bid of $2.00 for hardback and $1.00 for paperback, and are sold within a month to the highest bidder. Payments are made by check to the University of Idaho Library. Contact the Gift Supervisor to be placed on a mailing list of sales items.
  
• UI Library Lobby Sales Shelf
  Located in the west hallway, the sales shelf contains books not wanted in the collection, (books that do not sell on the Sales lists, withdrawals from the Library, and books in poor repair). Most of these books are priced below $2.00. Depending on supply, books are added daily. Also found on the sales shelf are boxes of free government documents and small publications. Payment is made at the Circulation Desk.
  
• Other Sales or Free Items
  Back issues of the Gem of the Mountains are available for $20.00 as long as the supply lasts. For further information contact the Gift Supervisor.

The Library provides a limited selection of free journals for projects requiring journal photographs or text. Patrons given discarded journals must agree to complete their projects elsewhere. No journals (including discarded journals) may be cut or defaced while in the library. For more information contact Periodical Service Center, or The Gift Supervisor.

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