Gift and donation policy
Gifts and donations to the UNE University Library
The University Library welcomes cash donations, bequests, named endowments, and accepts gifts of books and library materials that enhance the Library's collections and support the scholarly activities of the University.
Gifts of books are generally accepted for inclusion in the collections on the basis of relevance to the University's teaching and research programs. The depth and richness of the Library's collections is due, in part, to the generosity of many donors over the years. However the size of the collections does mean that a great deal of material offered to the Library is already held. The Library reserves the right to decline or dispose of gift material.
Fund-a-book
Honour or memorialise a friend or relative with a library donation from as little as fifty dollars. Books purchased under the fund-a-book program are given a special bookplate with the name of the donor or the person being honoured, and are added to the Library collections as a permanent memorial.
How to give to the UNE University Library
To arrange making a donation of cash, a bequest, or an endowment please contact the office of Jack Bedson the Acting University Librarian.
To arrange for the donation of books or other library items, please consult the relevant Faculty Librarian.
Conditions of acceptance of gifts in-kind
The University Library accepts book donations on the understanding that the location, retention, cataloguing, and preservation of the materials or other considerations relating to their use or disposition are at the discretion of the Library.
Donations are also accepted on the understanding that the material becomes the property of the University of New England, and may not be claimed back at a later date. The Library does not accept gifts as long term loans, except under exceptional circumstances and only with the approval of the University Librarian.
Gifts may not be accepted if the donor wishes to place any limitations or restrictions on their use or disposal. It is Library policy that gift material is integrated into the existing collections, and is subject to the same conditions of use as those collections. Special treatment of significant collections may be considered on the agreement of the University Librarian.
Material of interest
Materials that will be considered by the Library include:
- Hard cover and high quality paperback books of scientific, scholarly, literary or artistic substance.
- Material that would add to the Library's Rare Book and Special Collections.
To ensure that gift material is relevant and not needlessly duplicated, the Library prefers to review all offers of gifts prior to acceptance. Inspections of larger gifts can be arranged, but a list of potential gift material is preferable so that a preliminary check can be made against our holdings.
Materials generally not required by the Library include:
- Outdated textbooks.
- Popular magazines.
- Newspapers.
- Scholarly books and journals which duplicate our holdings.
- Materials in poor condition.
- Incomplete sets of multi-volume books or serials.
Acknowledgements and the Deed of Gift Form
Cash donations, bequests and endowments are normally arranged with the University Librarian or the University's Development Office, and are directly acknowledged in writing.
Donations of single and small parcels of books are normally received without written acknowledgement. Donors of in-kind gifts of $250 or more are asked to complete the Deed of Gift of Library Materials form to certify that the material is their property to dispose, and to formalize transfer of ownership. Donors of in-kind gifts below $250 that include unique archival materials for which copyright conveyance may be involved are also asked to complete the form. Donors will receive a copy of the Deed of Gift of Library Materials form for their personal files.
Gifts may be acknowledged by letter or email. Significant gifts are marked with the name of the donor in the Library's computer catalogue (995 tag). Books purchased under the fund-a-book program or from bequest and endowment funds with a capital base of $10,000 are bookplated.
Donations and tax benefits
The University is a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) for purposes of tax deductibility. Information about deductible gifts is available from the Australian Tax Office's Gift Pack.
In order to encourage gifts of significance to eligible institutions such as university libraries, the Commonwealth Government has established two different programs under which valuable donations may be accepted. Both offer a tax deduction for the market value of the donation:
Cultural Gifts Program
A tax deduction for the market value of a gift may be available to donors offering important collections or individual titles to the UNE Library. Gifts in-kind need to be valued by two valuers chosen from a list of those accredited for the purpose by the Australian Tax Office (ATO). Library staff are not accredited to provide valuations of donations, and their estimates are not acceptable to the ATO. An ATO Certificate of Donation must also be completed, transferring ownership from the donor to the Library.
Cultural Bequests Program
This is a program aimed at private collectors who may wish to bequeath nationally significant cultural items or collections to the Library. Such bequests are encouraged, not only by being made exempt from capital gains tax, but by also allowing the donor to retain custody of the item(s) during their lifetime.