Gift Policy

The St. Francis College Library is dedicated to providing access to information in support of student and faculty learning, research, and teaching. Toward this end, the Library encourages the donation of professional and scholarly books and other materials from outside the College that are appropriate to the Library’s role in meeting the academic mission of the College.

How are gifts evaluated?

Gifts are evaluated on the basis of present academic need, scholarly value, and physical condition. As a general rule, the Library does not accept magazines, textbooks, mass-market paperbacks, popular fiction, or books in poor physical condition.

The academic value of donated materials depends on the authority, accuracy, timeliness of content and on its relevance to the academic programs at St. Francis College. Books that are accepted for donation may be integrated into the Library's collection or offered as gifts to members of the SFC community.

Basic gift book procedure

  • Book donations of up to 20 in number will be accepted outright.
  • Book donations of 20 or more must be evaluated prior to acceptance through the following procedure:
  • 1) Potential donors contact Mr. Joseph Gerics of the Development Office (718-489-5382). After noting the donor’s information, Mr. Gerics contacts the library.
  • 2) A librarian then evaluates the potential donation based on either a detailed inventoried list or physical inspection of the material.
  • 3) The librarian then informs the donor of the outcome upon the donor’s request.
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    Weeding donation books

    The policy for weeding and discarding of donation books will be based upon parameters set in the gift policy statement. If the library already has a copy of a donated book in its collection, the decision to keep or discard the item being donated will be left to the discretion of the librarian. In the case of a special donation, the gift copy, if in excellent condition, will be retained and the other discarded.

    Acknowledging receipt

    Upon the donor’s request, all donations will be acknowledged in writing at time of receipt, regardless of their ultimate disposition. However, the Library does not perform appraisals of gifts for tax, inheritance, or other purposes.

    This collection policy will be reviewed annually by the collection development librarian and approved by the Library Director.

    November 15, 2006