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Donations

Physical Items

OWU is no longer accepting donations of printed books or journals.

There are three exceptions to this policy:

  • The OWU Historical Collection welcomes materials that document the origins, developments, activities, achievements and people of the University.
  • Donations of unique and rare materials will continue to be reviewed and accepted by Special Collections Librarian in consultation with the Director of Libraries when necessary.
  • The Library welcomes donations of new (current) books, especially those authored by OWU faculty, staff and alumni.

As a college library with a focus on a collection that supports the current curriculum, it is more time and cost effective to purchase new titles than to review older titles that too often duplicate existing copies in our local and consortial collections.

Note that the OWU Libraries also retain the following rights in regard to the acceptance of physical gifts:

A. The library will determine the classification, housing, and circulation policies of all gifts just as with purchased items.
B. The library has the right to not accept any gifts in poor physical condition.
C. The library has the right to discard any gifts in poor physical condition.
D. The library has the right to discard, sell, or exchange any gifts that duplicate materials already in the collection.
E. The library retains the right to refuse gifts upon which restrictions have been placed.

Please note that the library does not appraise materials for income tax purposes, but does acknowledge receipt of gifts. The library may also request the donor complete a deed of gift depending on the nature of the donation.

For further information about donating items that fall under one of the accepted categories, please contact OWU Library Acquisitions at acquisitions@owu.edu.

For your convenience, we have compiled a short list of Other Options for Donating Books. These are not endorsed by the University:

In order to help you determine how rare your book might be, please consider using rare book sellers’ websites such as ViaLibri.net.

 

Monetary Gifts

The OWU Libraries also accepts monetary gifts for collections as well as support for other library-related services or costs. These gifts may come in the form of donations, endowments, bequests, or trusts.

Smaller monetary gifts can be given directly to the Libraries to place in a gift fund or added to an existing endowed account.

Larger monetary gifts to establish an endowment for the Libraries or those coming from trusts and bequests are handled through the Development Office. A minimum of $50,000 is required to establish an endowment. The library follows IRS guidelines in accepting and acknowledging gifts.

To make a monetary donation, please contact the Director of Libraries.