Marathon County Public Library

ITEM NUMBER: 13.04 a-b

CHAPTER 13: Collection

Development

CODE: Policy

COMPUTER ID: CD-4



Title: Donation Policy

Effective Date: 11-24-86

Authorized By: Library Board of Trustees

Date of Last Revision: 5-2015



Effective July 1, 2015



Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for accepting donations made on behalf

of the Marathon County Public Library. This policy applies to monetary donations as well as

donations of materials given on behalf of the library.



Monetary Donations

Marathon County Public Library is grateful for the ongoing support of the community it

serves and welcomes donations. Individuals and groups may give monetary donations to

the Friends of the Library or the Library Foundation. These organizations will distribute

funds to the Library as needed. Donors are welcome to recommend subject areas, but in

order to maintain the integrity of the collection, collection development specialists will

choose materials. The Library will choose specific titles in accordance with the Collection

Development Policy (13.01 a b) and the needs of the Library. Donations greater than $500

for a specific project or program at the Library require consultation with Library

Administration.



Material Donations

All donations of materials will be given to the Friends of the Library to distribute as

appropriate. The Friends of the Library will select items for review by Marathon County

Public Library staff that will be considered as additions to the library collection. MCPL Staff

will make determinations for addition based on the criteria outlined in the Collection

Development Policy (13.01 a b).



The Friends of the Library have established guidelines for accepting donations. Many of the

same standards will be applied to donations as are applicable for purchased materials.

Primary criteria include:

Timeliness (created within the last 5 years).

Scope - Items geared toward the general public; non-academic titles.

Relevance to MCPL's mission statement and collection development policy

Physical condition

Literary quality

ITEM NUMBER: 13.04 b





Outdated, yellowed, damaged or musty items will not be accepted. The Friends of the

Library do not accept the following items:

Magazines

Condensed books

Video cassettes (VHS/BETA

format)

Cassettes (spoken word/music) Text Books

Any Annual Publication older than

5 years

Phonograph Records

Encyclopedias



Once items are donated, books and non-print materials become the property of the Friends

of the Library. The Friends of the library and MCPL reserve the right to use and dispose of

the donated items in a manner most beneficial to the Library. Common dispositions of

items include:



1. Addition to the collection

2. Disposition through the Friends of the Library book sale

3. Gifts to other libraries

4. Contributions to local charitable organizations

5. Made available for recycling



The Friends of the Library and MCPL are unable to appraise donations for purposes of

income tax deductions. Such appraisals are the responsibility of the donor. The Friends of

the Library will acknowledge receipt of materials on an appropriate form.