NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC
Policy on Gifts and Donations of Material
Gifts and donations of materials, such as books, art, artifacts and funds are welcome. Gifts help enrich and improve our library resources.
Books donated should conform with the collection development policy of the New Bedford Free Public Library. Textbooks, encyclopedias and periodicals will not be accepted. The library reserves the right to return, dispose or turn over for sale to the Friends of the Library, any duplicate material, incomplete sets of books or material in poor condition.
The library will provide a receipt statement, upon request, of book donations made to the library. Such a statement must be requested at the time of the donations. The statement will include monetary value only in the event that money has been donated.
The library is not able to appraise or otherwise assign any monetary value to gifts of books or other materials for tax deduction or other purposes. Such appraisals must be done by a disinterested third party, at the expense of the donor.
Donations are to be made to the library as a whole and not to particular branches. No conditions may be imposed relating to any gift.
Funds may be donated in memory or in honor of an individual, group or organization and an identifying bookplate will be attached to the book(s). Although the donor is welcome to request a particular subject area of interest, the Library Director or Branch Head will select the title(s) to be purchased.
Gifts of art and artifacts, prior to acceptance, must be considered by the Art Committee, basing their recommendation on criteria outlined in the Special Collections Scope of Collecting Guidelines.
A deed of gift, as follows, must be signed by the Donor: I/We give and assign irrevocably to the Board of Trustees of the New Bedford Free Public Library, its successors and assigns, the items described below and all of my/our right, title and interest therein, both as to use, form and content as well as to literary property right, copyright and right of renewal, statutory or otherwise, which I/We may have, and represent that I/We are lawfully entitled to do so.
Gifts once approved by the Art Committee must be referred to the Gifts Committee and recommended to the Board of Library Trustees for acceptance. Upon acceptance of any gifts or bequests it shall be the policy of the Trustees to honor their legal, moral and ethical responsibility to the donor and to the collection.
Adopted by the Board of Library Trustees
May 30, 2017
