UC Santa Barbara Policy 1500
Policies
Issuing Unit: Academic Affairs Date: July 15, 1986
LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS
I. REFERENCES:
UCSB Policies Manual, Policy 9620, Solicitation and Acceptance of
Gifts.
II. POLICY:
A. Solicitation:
The Library generally tries to acquire titles consonant with
and supportive of the University's academic programs or that
are otherwise desirable and to avoid acquisition of unneeded
duplicates. Potential Library gifts are to be discussed with
the appropriate subject specialist in advance of recommendation
for acceptance. Under normal circumstances, the Library does
not accept realia such as jewelry, medallions, diplomas or
personal memorabilia. Subject specialists should also consult
with the Head of the department which would be affected by the
gift. Also, the subject specialist is to consult with the
Assistant University Library for Collection Department and/or
the University Librarian in instances where (1) the material is
deemed exceptionally valuable or rare, (2) the donor merits
exceptional courtesy because of his/her role in the community,
or (3) the proposed gift has certain unique characteristics,
e.g., unusually large size, special conditions of acceptance
proposed by the potential donor, probable legal problems of
ownership or possession, significant financial implication for
maintenance (special equipment, hardware, alterations required,
etc.) It is essential that Librarians discussing the potential
gift make no statement to the donor committing the University
to acceptance of the gift.
The University Librarian and/or the Assistant University
Librarian for Collection Development are the principal contacts
with the Chancellor's Office and the Development Office for
potential library donations arising from contacts with donors
or other University benefactors. As may subsequently be
determined, the Assistant University Librarian for Collection
Development may redelegate further donor contacts to other
Library staff members.
B. Criteria for Acceptance:
Implicit within acceptance of any gift is the Library's
financial ability to process and administer the material and
its capacity to house it.
l. Books, Periodicals, etc.:
As with purchased materials, selectivity is most
important: the preferred gift is that which is supportive
of the academic and research functions of the University.
Therefore, the primary criterion for acceptance of the
gift is the extent to which the donation meets the
University's academic (instructional and research) needs,
i.e., the degree to which the material strengthens
existing collections and services. Other but less
important criteria include the unique character of a
collection and/or its intrinsic value.
2. Gifts Other than Books, Periodicals, etc.
For gifts of cash, securities, real property,
endowments/bequests and trusts, and other matters relating
to gifts to the University Library, please refer to UCSB
Policy 3010, Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts.
C. Acknowledgment/Acceptance:
1. The Library sends to every donor an acknowledgment signed
by the University Librarian. The University Library does
not ordinarily prepare an exhaustive listing or
bibliography of every title and volume donated. Exceptions
to this policy may be made in the case of exceptionally
valuable or unusual gifts. Such exceptions may be
authorized only by the Assistant University Librarian for
Collection Development or the University Librarian.
An acknowledgment provides timely confirmation to a donor
that a gift has been received, and only constitutes an
acceptance of a gift if it is signed by a person author
ized to accept gifts on behalf of the University. In
accordance with UCSB Policy 3010, on the Santa Barbara
campus, only the Chancellor, the Assistant Chancellor,
University Development, and the Director of Development
are authorized to accept gifts. Letters of acknowledgment
from persons other than those with delegated acceptance
authority do not constitute legally recognized acceptance
and should not state or imply that a gift has been
accepted.
2. The acceptance of any gift implies obligations for
processing, space, reader services, and perhaps future
maintenance. The acceptance of large collections requires
the concurrence of at least the Assistant University
Librarian for Collection Development, the subject
specialist, and head of the Library unit which would be
responsible for administering the material once it has
been added to the Library, and the University Librarian.
As a matter of course, the Assistant University Librarian
for Collection Development consults with the Assistant
University Librarian for services. Factors, conditions,
and other terms attached to a gift shall be summarized in
writing by the Assistant University Librarian for
Collection Development and will be reviewed by the
University Librarian and/or other University officers.
a. Prior to the acceptance of any gift of unusual size
or character, the Assistant University Librarian for
Collection Development will coordinate a thorough
analysis of the financial, processing, and space
obligations implied in an acceptance. This financial
analysis shall include the cost of any special
equipment required for use, building renovation or
other capital improvement, transportation, staffing,
special environmental conditions, general impact upon
the Library's ability to support established academic
programs, and such other cost factors as may be
determined to apply.
b. Following the completion of this analysis, the
University Librarian may discuss an acceptance and
its implications with the Academic Senate Library
Committee to obtain its counsel and advice. The final
decision to recommend acceptance will be made by the
University Librarian.
c. Subject specialists may accept up to nine linear feet
annually for those collections for which they have
assigned responsibility for administration and/or
selection, provided that these volumes meet normal
book selection criteria.
D. Appraisals:
1. To protect both its donors and itself, neither the
Library, as an interested party, nor any employee of the
Library may appraise gifts made to it. The appraisal of a
gift to a Library for tax purposes generally is the
responsibility of the donor, since it is the donor who
benefits from the tax deduction. Generally, the cost of
the appraisal is borne by the donor. The Library will
assist the donor by (a) providing information such as
auction records and dealers' catalogs; (b) suggestions of
appropriate professional appraisers who might be
consulted; (c) administrative and processing services
which would assist the appraiser in making an accurate
evaluation.
2. When the material is deemed exceptionally valuable or rare
and the donor is unwilling or unable to incur the cost of
an appraisal, the Library may reimburse the donor for the
cost of the appraisal. If the Library is reimbursing the
donor for the appraisal and/or if an out-of-town
specialist-appraiser is required, the Library obtains
written references in advance testifying to the
appraiser's credentials. The Library does not finance the
appraisal of casually donated material or minor value or
materials given chiefly to clear space in homes or
offices.
3. The acceptance of a gift which has been appraised by a
third party does not, in anyway, imply endorsement of the
appraisal by the Library, and correspondence with the
donor shall not indicate the value of a gift-in-kind in
any way that could be construed as endorsement of that
value for tax purposes.
4. For internal administrative purposes only, it is
appropriate to have a qualified member of the University
staff estimate a gift's value. Such an estimate should
approximate the market value, and is a useful guide in
establishing inventory control and determining appropriate
reporting, handling, custody, and insurance.
E. Records:
Records of any donations to the Library are centralized in the
Library Gifts Office and in the University Development Office
through the Gift Form (NDEV 100) process. All gifts to the
University Library, including books and other gifts-in-kind,
shall be documented in a timely manner. Gifts-in-kind shall
have their estimated value shown in the appropriate box.
F. Incorporation of Gifts into the Collections:
When gift books, etc., move from private hands to a University
Library, their focus as library materials alters radically.
Because the optimal benefit of Library gifts is realized when
they are incorporated in the Library's general collections and
classified in accordance with standard Library classification,
they add to the total corpus of materials available for
instruc tion and research, enhancing the Library as a resource
for research and instruction. Therefore, gift materials are
generally incorporated into the classification scheme the
Library uses for similar material. On rare occasions an
exceptional gift forms the basis of a total corpus on a
particular subject, e.g., the Wyles Collection. To qualify for
treatment as a separate collection, a gift must be
characterized by subject coverage ranging from comprehensive to
exhaustive or possess other qualities (e.g., fragility or
extreme rarity) which in the Library's judgment make separate
maintenance best for the University's scholarly programs.
G. Disposal of Duplicates or Unwanted Materials:
When considering the sale or other disposition of gift
property, the University must determine that the original gift
terms do not disallow such disposition, that the donor's
charitable tax deduction will not be adversely affected by the
action, and that relations with the donor, or the family and
friends of the donor will be adversely affected by the proposed
disposition.
In general, the University Library accepts gifts
unconditionally with the expectation that unneeded duplicates
or any material not appropriate to the collections may be sold
at periodic library book sales or sold to wholesalers of books
and journals. In general, only those issues of journals and
periodicals which fill in gaps of the Library's subscriptions
are retained.
Please direct questions about these policies to Meta.Clow@vcadmin.ucsb.edu. For questions or comments regarding the format of the above information, please contact webcontact@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu.
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Last Modified By: EBH, 7/09/98