I. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for accepting donations given to the Minocqua Public Library. This policy applies to all forms of donations listed below.
II. Types of Gifts
(A) Monetary Gifts
Minocqua Public Library is grateful for the ongoing support of the community it serves and welcomes monetary donations. Monetary contributions without restrictions will be used for purchasing materials and other items for the library, supporting programs and services, or in other ways the Library Board deems appropriate. Monetary contributions may be directed to the general library fund or to the Minocqua Public Library Foundation. To learn more about the Minocqua Public Library Foundation see the Foundation brochure. Donations restricted for a specific purpose may be accepted at the discretion of the library director.
(B) Material donations
Donations of books and audiovisual materials are accepted. Items that fit the criteria of the Collection Development Policy may be selected for review by Minocqua Public Library staff and added to the library collection. However, library staff have the authority to make any disposition of materials deemed appropriate, including selling them in library book sales or discarding items found to be in poor condition.
The guidelines for acceptable donations include many of the same standards that are applicable for purchased materials. Primary criteria include:
· Timeliness
· Scope (created/published within the last 5 years)
· Relevance to Minocqua Public Library’s mission statement and Collection Development Policy
· Physical condition
The library is unable to accept the following items:
· Books in poor condition (outdated, yellowed, damaged, or musty)
· Textbooks and encyclopedias
· Audio cassettes/video cassettes
· Bibles
· Newspapers
· Vinyl records
· Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
· Books discarded from other libraries
(Note: Specific guidelines for what items the library will and will not accept and the procedure for donating them is available on the library’s website.)
(C) Real Property, art, and other objects
Gifts of real property, art and other objects are accepted or rejected based on suitability to the library’s mission, decor, and availability of space for display. The library has the authority to make whatever disposition is deemed advisable, which may include sale or transfer to another agency. If an item is donated to the library, the library director will approve acceptance of the item and will determine the placement/location. The library may still sell the item for value and use the proceeds for any purpose appropriate to the library’s vision. The library may transfer ownership to any other agency it deems appropriate.
Gifts in addition to the pre-established list may be accepted subject to Director approval. Such gifts should provide for complete funding of costs related to installing the gift.
III. Terms of Acceptance
Gifts become the property of the library, unless specified as a temporary gift. The terms of acceptance of a temporary gift are at the discretion of the library director.
IV. Legal Disclaimer
· The director reserves the right to accept or refuse all gifts.
· The library accepts gifts with the understanding that no restrictions will be applied to the gift, except such restrictions jointly agreed upon.
· Once an item is accepted by the library, the item becomes the sole property of the library and may be handled in any way the library deems appropriate.
· The library reserves the right to dispose of any gift without notification to the donor, if in the judgement of the staff, such item no longer serves the purposes of the library.
· Donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Library staff cannot place a value on donated items but upon request will provide a donation slip at time of intake of items. It is the responsibility of the donor to determine the tax implications of a donation.
This policy replaces previous Book and Media Donation Policy; Approved by Library Board: May 20, 2024