Gifts of Materials
Unique Materials
The MIT Libraries encourage donations of unique and important materials that support the research and educational mission of the Institute. Donations of this kind often enable us to provide the most current materials or to fill retrospective gaps in the collection.
Of particular interest are the following:
- new review copies of scholarly monographs
- rare or valuable historical titles not already in our collections
- comprehensive subject collections, e.g. comparative linguistics, world music
- other formats including sound recordings (CDs) scores and videos (DVD's)
More common hard cover and high quality paperback books are desired if they have been searched against our existing collections and are found to be unique.
Conditions of Acceptance
Gifts of materials become property of the MIT Libraries and all gifts are considered to be unrestricted. The Libraries will consider your gift for addition to the collections, but reserve the right to exchange, donate, sell or recycle items that may not be needed for the collections. Proceeds from the sale of all material go directly to the MIT Libraries Preservation Fund.
Before making your gift contact the MIT Libraries Gifts Office at 617.253.5691 or email gifts-lib@mit.edu to find out how your gift will be used.
Acknowledgements
We will issue a letter or postcard of acknowledgment through the MIT Libraries' Director's Office describing the quantity and type of materials donated to us. Lists of titles will be provided only if your gift is 10 titles or less.
Tax Deductions and Appraisals
Gifts to the MIT Libraries are tax deductible. An acknowledgement letter serves as your receipt for tax purposes. The MIT Libraries suggest that donors consult their own tax advisers, but can offer some general guidelines:
- IRS Regulations do not allow us to provide an appraisal or estimate of value of your gift.
- Gifts of books and other formats may be reported at their fair market value, as determined by a recent bill of sale or by an appraisal. It may also be possible for the donor to determine current prices through various web sites, such as bookfinder.com or abaa.org.
- Due to the high cost of appraisals, they are generally not recommended unless the collection is large or very valuable.
For further information on claiming a tax deduction or for identifying an appraiser for your gift, please see:
Claiming A Tax Deduction For Your Gift To The MIT Libraries
Services to the MIT Faculty
- Consultation: The Gifts Librarian (x3-5691 / gifts-lib@mit.edu) and/or Library Subject Specialists can visit your office or home to advise you on the suitability of materials for donations to the Libraries.
How to Donate Materials
Contact the Gifts Librarian at 617.253.5691, or send email to gifts-lib@mit.edu to discuss delivery arrangements, collection policies, user's needs, and other questions regarding gifts.
Contact the MIT Libraries Gifts Office: gifts-lib@mit.edu
Claiming A Tax Deduction For Your Gift To The MIT Libraries
Donating materials to the Institute Archives
