Donating Journals and Books
Does the Eskind Biomedical Library accept books and journals as gifts?
Occasionally we do. Some of the library's important materials have been gifts.
The library no longer has space to store materials and is now charged for disposal of books and journals. This means that we rarely accept materials that are duplicated in the library's collection.
What books and journal gifts does the library want?
The library is interested in books authored or edited by Vanderbilt University faculty. We appreciate it when the author signs a gift book.
The library is also interested in books that are of historical importance and are in good to fine condition and those that augment or fill gaps in the collection. We accept specific journal issues or volumes to complete library holdings and occasionally accept large sets of journal titles not in our collection.
How do I donate books or journals?
Please contact a staff member in Technical Services BEFORE donating your materials. Julia Strickland is the primary contact person for donations. You can reach Julia by phone: (615)936-1404 or email: Julia.Strickland@vanderbilt.edu. Let us know the size of your donation, the subject areas, and the general range of dates. For journals, we prefer that you provide a list with volumes and dates. Staff can arrange to look at your collection and see what may be of use to the library and then make arrangements for pickup and delivery.
Can I give the library my own current copies of a journal received through a membership or through a paid personal subscription?
The library cannot legally accept ongoing donations of journals received through a membership or a paid personal subscription. Publishers price personal or membership subscriptions with the assumption that they will be used by an individual rather than a potentially large audience at an institution. Regular current use by an institution could be considered a copyright infringement.
What can I do with those journals and books the library cannot use?
Local rare or used book dealers may be interested in older good-to-fine quality books.
Libraries that have had flood or fire damage may solicit donations. For example, in 1997 Colorado State University suffered flood damage and needed many years of journals to rebuild its collection. Usually libraries that have experienced disasters do not have anywhere to store books and journals and may ask that you keep the materials for up to one year before sending them.
Overseas libraries may accept recent journals and texts up to eight years old. For a partial list of contacts for overseas donations, check the following sites:
Back issue vendors may be interested in runs of journals.
Sometimes there is nothing to do but throw away unwanted books and journals.
How can I tell the value of my donation?
The library is prohibited by law from appraising donations or assigning monetary value to your gift. If you wish to determine a value for tax purposes, you should retain an independent appraiser to evaluate your collection before donating it to the library. You may be able to determine the value of particular items using one of these internet sites for rare and used books:
Eskind Biomedical Library sends a letter of acknowledgment to every donor that may be used for tax purposes.
Are there other ways to contribute to the Eskind Biomedical Library?
The library welcomes your contributions. Please contact Deborah Broadwater at (615) 936-1394.
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