How to Give

Book donations

Gifts of scholarly materials to the Library of the University of California, Berkeley have historically represented a significant element in the development of the university's outstanding research collections. Due to the average processing, cataloging, and long term shelving costs of $40-$60 per volume, the Library selectively accepts scholarly and research materials that extend the breadth and depth of our outstanding collections. Generally speaking, the Library will consider scholarly materials that support the current and future needs and collecting scope for the current curriculum, teaching, and research.

If you have rare or archival materials that may be of interest, please contact The Bancroft Library or the C. V. Starr East Asian Library. Any additional inquiries should be directed to Dirk Kennedy, gift coordinator, at dkennedy@library.berkeley.edu

General information for prospective donors

• Gifts are accepted with the understanding that upon receipt the university becomes the owner of the material and will determine retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations relating to use or disposition. Materials not added to the collections may be offered to other academic libraries, or sold with the proceeds being used to purchase new material.
• The Library will normally only accept selected titles from an offered collection and not the entire collection.
• Donors with gifts of over 50 items must first present a written inventory. This list must include title, author(s), publisher, and date of publication and will be reviewed by Library subject specialists and/or staff before acceptance.
• While a monetary donation with any gift is always appreciated and welcomed, gifts of over 200 items must be accompanied by a monetary donation to support cataloging, preservation, and processing of the items.
• Gifts of digital materials can’t always be accepted. Considerations around acceptance include, but are not limited to, copyright, ability to make available to campus community and the world, and ability to handle hosting costs.
• Gifts may be received in the Gifts Office by appointment or directly in subject specialty libraries. Please contact the Library before dropping off any materials as we are not always able to take drop-in donations.
• The gift coordinator and the Library Development Office are available to discuss with prospective donors any large gifts of materials and/or monetary donations to the Library. For information on how to make a cash gift that will supplement our collection allocations, support for the technical processing of acquisitions, and/or support our student and faculty curriculum and research collection needs, contact give@library.berkeley.edu or call 510-642-9377.

The Library will generally not accept:

• Materials that fall outside the scope of the Library’s collecting policy
• Academic publications that are widely held in U.S. libraries
• Duplicate copies of materials already held in the collection or that already exist at a UC Regional Library Facility (RLF) for storage
• Gifts which bear restrictions or special conditions for their treatment, housing, or use
• Journal runs and individual issues
• Newspapers
• Textbooks (except for editions currently used in courses at Berkeley)
• Mass market and popular trade paperbacks
• Outdated media and items needing outdated technology to access, such as floppy disks, CD-ROMS, etc.
• Items in poor condition

Appraisals and acknowledgement of gifts

The Library acknowledges all gifts of scholarly materials in writing upon request. The letter of acknowledgement may note the number of volumes (or approximate number if the collection is large) received, but will not include a list of the items or an estimate of the value of the gift.

The appraisal of a gift to the Library for income tax purposes is the responsibility of the donor. The Library, as an interested party in any donation to itself, cannot make an estimation regarding the monetary value of a gift. The Library will provide assistance as to sources of information for evaluation purposes and suggest appropriate professional appraisers who might be consulted. Because of tax considerations, donors may wish to discuss prospective donations and appraisals with their tax advisor.