Special Collections Gifts

The Special Collections of The Florida State University Libraries are housed in the Strozier Library and in the Claude Pepper Library in the Claude Pepper Center, both located on the main university campus. Among its collections are the University Archives and Photo Archives; the Claude Pepper Collection; the John Mackay Shaw Childhood in Poetry Collection; the Napoleon and the French Revolution Collection; the Florida Collection; the Scottish Collection; and manuscript and rare books collections. Notable among the rare book collections are Kelmscott Press books; the Lois Lenski Collection; the Tracy McGregor Collection of Books on the Discovery and Exploration of the Americas; the Louise Richardson Herbal Collection; the Nancy Bird Fore-Edge Painting Collection; and the Carothers' Memorial Collection of Bibles and Books about the History of Religion in America. Manuscript collections include political and literary manuscripts; collections of business records; and papers of University administrators and faculty.

Special Collections welcomes gifts of donated materials and financial contributions. Gifts of both kinds are needed to support current and evolving academic programs and the research needs of faculty and students. Faculty are encouraged to seek out collections of research value to the University community, but acceptance of collections by the Libraries is contingent on evaluation by the Director of Libraries and the Head of Special Collections. All collections of monetary value given to the University and housed in the University Libraries must be credited to the Libraries.

Gifts of donated materials (in-kind gifts) are a major factor in increasing the depth and breadth of our collections. Items proposed for addition to the collections must generally meet the same selection criteria as purchased materials and be accepted by the Head of Special Collections or the Director of the FSU Libraries.

Financial contributions allow us to purchase desirable materials and insure future access to our research materials through preservation activities and digitization.

Gifts to Special Collections are handled separately from gifts to the general collections. The Libraries generally follow the Association of College and Research Libraries' guidelines: Statement of Appraisal of Gifts (1973), Statement on Legal Title (1973), and Standards for Ethical Conduct for Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Librarians (1992), except where these statements are modified by this document.

In-kind Gifts

Persons who wish to make in-kind donations to Special Collections or the University Archives should contact:

Lucy Patrick

Small and individual gifts may be accepted informally. If the gift is an entire collection, it is preferred that the donor provide a descriptive list of items for review before bringing or shipping the materials to the Libraries. In some instances, arrangements may be made for an on-site visit to review materials or to pick them up.

All donors of materials valued at over $500 must sign a Deed of Gift Form transferring ownership of the materials to The Florida State University Foundation for the use of the FSU Libraries. The Deed of Gift for all gifts valued at over $1,000 must be negotiated with the Director of Libraries.

While gifts to the FSU Libraries are tax deductible, IRS regulations prohibit the Libraries as an interested party in making appraisals of gifts for tax purposes. In general, the IRS does not require an appraisal for single items or collections of similar items valued at under $5,000. It is customary for donors to pay the cost of the appraisal of valuable items since they derive the tax benefit. A donor considering donating valuable items should consult an attorney or accountant for expert advice. The Libraries may assist donors in identifying qualified appraisers or researching possible value of materials through standard sources (e.g., Books in Print, American Book Prices Current, Bookman's Price Index, dealer's catalogs, etc.).

The Libraries do not accept gifts with restrictions except those negotiated between the Director and donor before acceptance. Materials are not considered accepted by the Libraries until the Deed of Gift has been signed by the Director of the FSU Libraries or her designee. The Libraries will acknowledge all gifts accepted unless the donor declines such notification.

Books and manuscript collections added to Special Collections will be cataloged and listed in the Libraries' online catalog with a notation of the donor's name, unless anonymity is requested. A bookplate bearing the name of the donor or a person being honored by the gift may be affixed to books if requested by the donor. The Libraries reserve the right to determine the appropriate degree of cataloging or processing of materials and the final physical location of materials added to the collections and, except in the case of very large gifts of exceptional value, does not maintain separate named collections. Ephemeral materials may be added to vertical files. Photocopies of copyrighted materials are generally not accepted.

The Libraries reserve the right to dispose of donated materials not added to Special Collections by adding them to the general collections, by selling them (with the funds to support future acquisitions), by gift or exchange with other institutions, or by other means. Donors may request at the time of donation that materials not added to the collection be returned to them. Materials in poor physical condition will be evaluated to determine their scholarly or historic value before acceptance. Donors of such materials may be asked to make a financial contribution to help offset the costs of any professional preservation treatment needed.

Financial Contributions

Persons who wish to make financial contributions in support of the growth, preservation and maintenance of the physical collections, or of the services and programs of Special Collections, should contact:

Julia Zimmerman