Crash Course in Library Gift Programs

What do you do when you are offered any number of gifts including but not limited to artifacts, letters, historical documents, collections of pictures, postcards, arrowheads? This book helps you reject such offers (keeping the prospective donor happy) or add and maintain these in your collection so that they are useful and used. Since archival materials are not considered as the usual circulation materials, how and when to loan them is another question answered. You may also be able to get volunteers to help you at every step along the way when you are acquiring and restoring gifts.

Many librarians are recipients of a variety of gifts from members of the community. How to accept or reject these donations is a continuing problem for persons who work in public libraries and will be even more of a question when the librarian has little formal training in archival or preservation work.

Auteur

Ann Roberts is a reference librarian at the United State Patent and Trademark Office, Public Search Facility. She has worked in public, academic, and government libraries, as well as with historical collections.

Ann Roberts is a Certified Archivist and has worked in historical societies, archives and libraries for almost twenty years. She is currently the Adult Services Consultant for the Missouri State Library and Coordinator of the Missouri Center for the Book.