Administrative Policy #5.15 - Public Library Gift and Donations
Purpose
To make certain that the decisions on the acceptance of gift and donation offers are made in a timely, consistent manner and are appropriate in terms of both the nature of the facilities and purposes of the Library.
The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library acknowledges the great importance of private gifts and donations to the Library's future development and growth. Such gifts take many forms, come from various sources, and are made for a variety of purposes.
Offers of gifts and donations may be made directly to the Library, the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Foundation, or the Friends of the Library. Although they work closely with Library staff, the Library Foundation and Friends of the Library are separate organizations with their own policies and procedures and are not governed by this document.
Scope
The City of Corvallis owns the Corvallis Public Library building, and the branch Libraries are owned by the communities in which they are located. The City of Corvallis operates the county-wide Corvallis-Benton County Public Library system. The regulations, policies, and procedures of the City shall apply in decisions on the acceptance of gifts and donations. The only exception is in the case of donations to the branch Library buildings themselves (such as fixtures and permanent art) which have no cost impact to the City, in which case the decision on acceptance are decided jointly by the Library staff and the building owner.
Procedures
All donations become the property of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, which is an agency of the City of Corvallis. Gifts and donations may be designated for a specific branch Library. The Library can accept anonymous donations only if the identity of the donor is not known; as a public agency, the records of all donations are public records. Anonymous donations can be made to the Friends of the Library or Library Foundation.
The Library reserves the right to not accept donations if, in the judgment of the Library staff, the gift has too many restrictions, is not needed by the Library, or has an adverse fiscal or service impact on the Library. Specific criteria for various types of donations are described below.
Books and Materials
a. The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library will accept gifts of books and other materials with the understanding that such gifts will be added to the collection only if they meet the same standards required of purchased materials. Gift materials not meeting those standards, those that are out-of-date, unneeded duplicates of items already owned, those in a format unsuitable for Library use, or unsuitable for some other reason will be given to the Friends of the Library, given to other organizations, sold, exchanged, or recycled. Library staff shall determine whether such gifts will be added to the collection and shall determine how gift materials are handled and integrated into the collection.
b. Gifts of money to purchase specific Library materials should be given to the Library in advance of any material being ordered. Normally such gifts shall be at the list price, which covers the Library's cost for the item(s), shipping charges, and cataloging and processing expenses.
Donations of Money, Real Estate, Securities, or Personal Property
a. Persons desiring to make a gift of money, real estate, securities, or personal property to the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, either during their lifetime or in their will, may do so by making the gift in the name of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library with the expressed condition that the funds or property be used exclusively for the benefit of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.
b. Oregon Revised Statutes 357.490(5) provides that donations of money, personal property, or real estate for the benefit of any public library are to be held, controlled, and disposed of by the library governing body according to the terms of the deed or gift.
Disposition of Gifts
a. All non-monetary gifts may be subject to disposition at some point. For example, whenever books and materials donated to the Library are no longer needed or have become so worn or damaged as to be beyond repair, they will be disposed of in the same manner as purchased books and other material. This disposition policy will also be applied in an appropriate manner to other gifts such as equipment, art objects, and landscaping. Since all gifts to the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library become the property of the City, appropriate City disposition procedures shall be followed.
Gift Recognition
a. Many donations are made by individuals and groups in the memory of a deceased loved one, to honor a living person, or in celebration of an event. It is desirable and essential to publicly recognize these contributions and to do so in a timely fashion. These procedures shall be applied to recognize gifts from individuals and organizations that have been given directly to the Library. Generally, the Library's donor recognition procedures are as follows:
- All donations to the Library will be acknowledged by a letter from the Library Director. Donors will also be listed in the annual donor listing in the Library's newsletter.
- Additional special recognition may take place for significant contributions. Such recognition may include a donor board, placement of plaques or bookplates on items purchased, special events, publicity, naming collections, or other means. Any collections named after significant donors will not be displayed or shelved separately.
- If a donor does not wish to be publicly recognized, that wish will be honored.
- Detailed recognition procedures based on various levels of giving are available from the Library Administration Office.
Levels of giving to the Library:
- Supporter: Gifts less than $200
- Sponsor: Gifts of $200-$499
- Donor: Gifts of $500-$999
- Patron: Gifts of $1,000-$4,999
- Sustainer: Gifts of $5,000-$9,999
- Benefactor: Gifts of $10,000 and above
Guidelines
The City of Corvallis has policies that provide guidance and established procedures around accepting donations, gifts, or commissions of different types. The following policies or procedures exist to help guide decision making:
- Council Policy 91-1.03, "Naming of Public Facilities and Land," establishes City policies and procedures to be followed in naming facilities. “Public facilities" is interpreted to include rooms in the Library.
- The decision as to the acceptance of an art object shall be made in accordance with Council Policy 98-4.12, "Guidelines for Public Art Selection," with the coordination of Library staff.
Review/Update
The Library Director will prepare this Administrative Procedure for review as needed for City Manager approval.
Last reviewed: 08-2021
