Gifts of materials

The MIT Libraries accept only a very limited number of gifts and generally do not take items that are already available in other library collections.

For rare and unique items that may be considered for the Department of Distinctive Collections (DDC), please review DDC’s collections development policy and donation process.

The needs of a university research library are both varied and specific. This may exclude some of the items people often wish to donate. The MIT Libraries do not accept:

• Textbooks
• Mass-market paperbacks
• Books, journals, and magazines that duplicate our holdings or are readily available in other library collections
• Individual issues or small runs of scholarly journal issues
• Popular magazines (e.g., National Geographic, Smithsonian, etc.)
• U.S. government publications
• Materials in poor condition or exhibiting signs of mold or mildew
• Materials that contain highlighting, underlining, or annotations (unless annotations are of significant scholarly value)
• Materials that might cause the library to be liable for copyright infringement (e.g., copied audio and video recordings)

Since MIT was founded, gifts of materials to the MIT Libraries have played an important role at MIT. However, for each donation we accept, there are both immediate and long-term expenses to cover the processing of the items and making the items accessible.

We ask that you not send unsolicited materials directly to the MIT Libraries. We do not track receipts of unsolicited items, and only very rarely add such items to our collections. Please note that the Libraries are unable to provide donors with a list of their donations retrospectively.

If you are considering donating an item to the MIT Libraries, please fill out our Gifts of Materials form so we can assess the usefulness of your proposed gift.

Also see: Claim a tax deduction for your gift to MIT Libraries