Policies

Giving

The City College Library thanks you for considering the College as a potential recipient of your books and other library materials. Our resources have been developed through judicious purchase and the grateful acceptance of useful gifts. Gifts of both money and materials contribute to the development of the collections and the support of the College’s academic programs. Modest gifts are appreciated as well as endowments and substantial collections.

Donating Materials

The Library welcomes volumes in good condition, which can include classic and standard works as well as rare and specialized materials. The academic mission of the College, as well as constraints of personnel, space and materials inform the following guidelines for prospective donors.

• The academic mission of the College, as well as constraints of personnel, space and materials inform the following guidelines for prospective donors.
• Gifts of materials are accepted with the understanding that upon receipt they are owned by the College and become part of the Library.
• The Library reserves the right to determine their retention, location, cataloging treatment and other considerations related to their use or disposition.
• The Library is happy to provide bookplates for substantial collections to honor donors or those they are memorializing. Requests for plaques, special shelves or rooms cannot be honored. Restrictions on circulation can be observed when the material warrants them.
• Certain types of materials cannot be accepted:
  • Collections in subjects divorced from the College’s mission (i.e.: theology, agriculture)
  • Outdated books in technical fields, normally those more than five years old.
  • Textbooks more than five years old
  • Instructors' editions of textbooks and answers to problems books.
  • Laboratory manuals
  • Miscellaneous copies or scattered runs of periodicals
  • Paperback books published in the United States
  • Books with brittle paper
  • Materials which would require extensive rebinding, wrapping or other preservation treatment before they could be used.
  • Vinyl records

Archival Materials

The Library’s Archives and Special Collections Division actively seeks donations of items that documenting the history of CCNY and its historical curriculum, alumni and former students, faculty and administration. The following are typical sought-after materials:

• Murad Tobacco Silks with C.C.N.Y. pennant, CCNY athlete, etc., ca. 1910-1930
• 1940s, 1950s and 1960s Lewisohn Stadium Concert Programs
• Color and Black & White postcards with views of CCNY
• Programs from CCNY sporting events, all decades
• Course syllabi, lecture notes, & bluebooks for CCNY courses in all disciplines, any year
• Photographs of events on campus, sports, and other college views
• Publications, personal papers and correspondence

The Library operates within severe personnel constraints. Library or College personnel cannot supply boxes, pack books, or provide itemized lists. We are also generally unable to pick up materials from private residences or other off-site locations. A letter of acknowledgment, which specifies the number of items donated, will be furnished. In common with many other academic libraries, the City College Library does not furnish appraisals or estimates of value. The Internal Revenue Service considers the Library an interested party to such appraisals.

Donors may wish to consult IRS Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property. Potential donors of archival materials may also wish to consult the Society of American Archivists’ Guide to Donating Your Personal or Family Papers to a Repository.

Donors who believe their collections are of substantial value should obtain an independent appraisal prior to donation. Names of appraisers can be obtained from the American Society of Appraisers at 60 East 42nd Street, New York, N. Y. 10017 (687-6305) or the Antiquarian Booksellers International, Inc. at 12 East 57th Street, New York, N. Y. 10022 (751-5450). The Collection Development Officer will be happy to discuss details of your proposed gift with you and can be reached at 212-650-7271.

Cash Donations

For information about cash donations and endowments, please contact the Dean's office at 212-650-7271. To give directly to CCNY Libraries, please use the online donation form found here.