Refocusing a gift program in an academic library

Bishop, Janet; Smith, Patricia; Sugnet, Chris

doi:10.1080/14649055.2010.10766275

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…While acknowledging the critical role that donations played in collection development in the founding of many early American libraries, Carrico (1999) pointed out that the previous practice of accepting everything offered has given way to more careful consideration due to time, space, and need. This recognition of the benefits of past donation acceptance weighed against current offers has been echoed elsewhere in the literature (Bishop et al, 2010;Canevari de Paredes, 2006;Emanuel, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 91%

Dealing with Unwanted Donations: A Content Analysis of Small Academic Canadian Library Webpages

Cardozo

2022

Partnership

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While archives and special collections continue to welcome unique and valuable resources, small academic libraries can struggle with how to manage donation offers intended for their main collections. There is a need to be selective considering falling print circulation, workload pressures on library personnel, and space restrictions. Additionally, limited collections funds needed for more current and higher-demand resources can be strained by the higher processing costs of donated materials. These pressures are compounded by prospective donors seeking a home for items they no longer want, a perception that small academic libraries need all donations, and a lack of understanding about the qualifications and expertise of academic library workers. Clearly communicated and regularly reviewed guidelines can help discourage unwanted donations in ways that lessen alienating our patrons. This article provides a content analysis of donations webpages from small academic libraries in Canada to identify trends and provide support for libraries reviewing their own policies and procedures in an effort to manage donor expectations.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 91%

Dealing with Unwanted Donations: A Content Analysis of Small Academic Canadian Library Webpages

Cardozo

2022

Partnership

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“…They found that 60 percent of non-gifts circulated in the past five years, while only 34 percent of gifts had circulated. 7 Thomas and Shouse's study took a more detailed look at the use of gift books. They examined circulation for items in Library of Congress (LC) classes P and H and by subclasses for the latter, and to what extent interlibrary loan (ILL) accounted for gift circulation, and whether gift books were required reading for courses.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Holistic Assessment of Spanish Gift Books

Giffin¹

2022

LRTS

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Library gifts-in-kind are a mixed blessing: their potential utility must be weighed against the resources required to add them to a collection. Understanding the value such materials can bring to the library is essential. In academic libraries, donations from faculty members may be assumed to be more appropriate and useful additions to the collection. This evaluation used multiple methods to assess the value of several hundred gift books donated by a professor in support of the Spanish program at Concordia University. Parameters examined include age, language, subjects and their relation to the curriculum, usage, and availability in other libraries.T he value of gift materials to a library is not a given: their worth to the institution should be assessed before a decision is made to accept them. In an era where physical collections in general are increasingly under scrutiny for their utility in all types of libraries, donated items should be subject to a similar level of evaluation. Such assessment usually begins when materials are first offered to a library. Library gift policies can prevent donations of unsuitable materials or ensure that the library is not obligated to keep donated items. 1 For academic libraries, it is fairly simple to specify what types of material will not be accepted, such as textbooks, popular fiction, and magazines and journals. Many gifts-inkind, though, are less easily categorized as appropriate. While some will prove to be desirable and useful supplements to the library's own purchases, others are less useful due to factors such as age, audience level, format, duplication of existing holdings, language, subject areas, and alignment with the organization's needs and collection development strategy. It is not always straightforward to determine the potential value of gifts to an institution at the time of donation.A particular source of gifts-in-kind in academic libraries is donations made by faculty members, both current and retired. Given the importance of maintaining good relationships with faculty, such gifts may require tactful negotiation and communication of gift policies to ensure that only materials that fall within the scope of library collections and are in appropriate formats and condition are accepted. However, gifts from faculty that do meet such conditions may well fill gaps and contribute useful works to the library, due to their subject expertise and understanding of curricular and research needs. At Concordia University, many faculty members periodically donate materials to the library. This inquiry has been undertaken to evaluate a large quantity of book donations made over a number of years by an individual faculty member from the Spanish program, with the goal of determining the value of these gifts to the institution, using multiple assessment methods. BackgroundConcordia University is a large research institution located on two campuses in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with over 36,000 undergraduate and nearly 10,000

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“…Meanwhile, time and space pressures have put library gifts processing under scrutiny. Bishop, Smith, and Sugnet (2010) reveal that after determining the increasing staff time taken to accept a relatively small amount of resources from donors, plus the shortage of space for print material in general, the Colorado State University Library eliminated their general gift program and restricted gifts-in-kind to those materials supporting archives and special collections.…”

Section: % and Climbingmentioning

confidence: 99%

70% and Climbing: E-Resources, Books, and Library Restructuring

Miller

Sharp

Jones

2014

Collection Management

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Within the past decade, academic libraries have seen a shift in purchasing from mostly print to mostly electronic. Although Carleton University Library (Ottawa, Canada) has experienced this shift, it had continued until recently to work within the confines of an organizational structure based on a print purchasing model. This paper will describe in detail the restructuring of the Library's collections and technical services departments to better meet growing electronic demands. Changes included dedicating more staff from print resources to e-resources, changing a librarian position to focus specifically on collections assessment, and shifting budgets to manage growing e-resources more efficiently. The authors will explore accomplishments and hurdles that needed to be overcome, cite lessons learned in making organizational shifts, and make some cautious predictions about future changes.

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Refocusing a gift program in an academic library

Cited by 8 publications

References 12 publications

Dealing with Unwanted Donations: A Content Analysis of Small Academic Canadian Library Webpages

Dealing with Unwanted Donations: A Content Analysis of Small Academic Canadian Library Webpages

A Holistic Assessment of Spanish Gift Books

70% and Climbing: E-Resources, Books, and Library Restructuring

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