Donate Books & Other Gifts-in-Kind
Donating general collection materials
Gifts of books and other library materials can be of great value in adding to our collection useful titles that were never purchased, or replacing lost titles that are no longer in print. If you would like to donate materials for the general collections, please contact Brian Schoolar in Acquisitions & Collection Development at jbrian@temple.edu.
Donating archival materials
To donate archival, rare, or special collection materials, or items documenting the history of Temple University, please send a description to Brenda Galloway-Wright at brenda.galloway-wright@temple.edu. The University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) Research Center welcomes inquiries about potential donations of books, documents, organizational records, photographs, and other materials that complement our research collections. We will work with you to determine the most appropriate disposition of the material and to conclude a donation agreement.
Donating to the Health Sciences Libraries
- The Health Sciences Libraries accept gifts of current, relevant titles that have not been previously purchased or that replace lost titles of value to the collection.
- The Health Sciences Libraries require a list of material titles, including publication dates, prior to the donation.
- Gift materials added to the collection are integrated into the Library’s general collection. Specially designated areas are not available to house gift materials.
Items we do not accept
- brittle or damaged materials, unless very rare
- paperback novels
- textbooks (exceptions: 1) Current textbooks at the Health Sciences Libraries, 2) those published by Temple faculty)
- journals or periodicals (except in complete runs of titles not already duplicated)
Tax deductibility & valuation of gifts
You will receive an acknowledgement that you can use for tax purposes.
The following guidelines apply if the donor intends to claim the fair market value of his/her gift as a charitable deduction for tax purposes:
The Tax Reform Act of 1984 established three categories of tangible property gifts, each having certain requirements:
- gifts valued at $500 or less may be claimed as itemized deductions on your 1040 return, schedule A
- gifts valued at more than $500 but less than $5,000 must be reported on Part A of IRS form 8283
- gifts valued at more than $5,000 require additional information, including an independent third-party appraisal, to be reported on Part B of IRS form 8283 which must also be signed by a representative of Temple University as the recipient of your donation.
Whatever the valuation category, it is the responsibility of the donor to establish the fair market value of a gift, either through personal research or with the services of an appraiser. Temple University cannot provide monetary appraisals of donated material or pay for such appraisals due to IRS regulations. If you wish to have a gift appraised, we can offer a list of reputable independent appraisers whom you may contact directly.
Once accepted, your gift becomes the property of the Temple University Libraries. If any materials are ultimately not added to the collections, we reserve the right to dispose of the material as necessary through exchange, sale, or other means.