Christ’s College Library donations policy
The College is always pleased to hear from individuals who are considering donating books or other materials to the College Library, and acknowledges the contribution that donors have made throughout its history to the Library collections through their generosity. However, due to severe space constraints and the staff time needed to process donations, careful consideration has to be given to every prospective gift of materials to ensure the long-term sustainability of the collection.
By donating material to the Library, you are confirming that you agree to the terms of the Library’s donations policy as laid out below.
- Potential donors should contact the College Librarian in the first instance. Depending on the nature, condition and size of the potential donation, the matter may also be referred to the College’s Library Committee and/or relevant subject specialists
- To aid with consideration of donations, potential donors are asked to supply, in advance, a list of items they wish to donate. Library staff, in consultation with appropriate members of the staff and Fellowship, will then select suitable titles
- Items donated without prior contact will be handled at the discretion of Library staff, and where appropriate, in consultation with the staff and Fellowship
- Items donated anonymously will be retained for four weeks before processing in case further information of relevance is received. After this period, items will be handled at the discretion of Library staff, and where appropriate, in consultation with the staff and Fellowship
Generally the Library will only accept the following:
- Items relating to subjects currently being studied within College by undergraduates and taught postgraduates
- Materials relating to the history of the College, its properties and its alumni
- Publications by Fellows of the College
The Library does not generally accept:
- Duplicates of existing stock
- Issues of journals/periodicals
- Items on deposit or loan
- Items in poor physical condition and/or requiring extensive conservation treatment
Books received by donation become property of the Library and will be integrated into the Library’s collections at the direction of Library staff, who will make all necessary decisions as to cataloguing, access, use and retention. Whilst every effort will be made at the point of donation to accept only those items deemed relevant to the collections, the Library reserves the right to dispose of unwanted material by whatever means the Librarian judges most appropriate.
As part of the College Library’s collection, items may be withdrawn at a later date where damaged or superseded by new editions, or in accordance with the Library’s policy for weeding and deaccessioning.
Donations to the Library are recorded on the Library’s Donations list, which is formally submitted to each meeting of the College’s Governing Body. This typically includes details of the donation, name of the donor, their relationship to Christ’s, and the date of donation.
Unless notified otherwise at the point of donation, Library staff will not add a bookplate inside the front of the book or a note to the public catalogue. Please notify Library staff at the point of donation if you wish us to insert a bookplate and/or note recording your name and year of donation.
Future visits to view the donation by the donor, family or friends must be made by prior appointment.
Donors wishing to give rare or unique material to the library should contact the Librarian in the first instance, providing as much information as possible on the extent and type of material being offered.
We thank you for your interest in donating to Christ’s College Library.