Gifts Policy

I. Policy Statement

The Kyle Public Library welcomes gifts from the community. Gifts become the property of the Library, which reserves the right to refuse any gift it does not deem in its best interest to accept. Accepted gifts shall be final and no restriction on the Library's ownership, possession, or use of the gift shall be effective other than restrictions approved by the Library Board and formally noted in writing.

II. Donations to the Collection

The Library accepts gifts from patrons during the Library's open hours. While the Library is able to add some gift material to its shelves, not all gift material is appropriate for the collection. For a gift to be added to the collection, it must meet the same standards that govern the acquisition and retention of purchased materials (see the Kyle Public Library Collection Development Policy for details). Gifts must be timely as to content and format, in excellent physical condition, have contemporary significance or permanent value, and be consistent with the existing Library collection.

Examples of gifts the Library encourages include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Current bestsellers (in excellent physical condition) in fiction and nonfiction
• Classic fiction or nonfiction in excellent physical condition
• Books on CD (unabridged complete sets only)
• Timely nonfiction books (two years or newer) in excellent physical condition
• Large-print books in excellent physical condition
• Popular or classic DVDs in excellent condition

Material not accepted for the collection will be given to the Kyle Library Thrift Shop. Monies from the resale of these items are used to benefit the Kyle Public Library. These items include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Travel guidebooks, computer books, or medical books over three years old
• Non-fiction material in outdated formats (e.g. VHS tapes)
• Almanacs or encyclopedia yearbooks
• Abridged or condensed books or audio books
• Book club editions

Items are also evaluated on their condition, and not all items will be accepted. The following items are not accepted for donation:

• Books with yellowed or missing pages
• Books with damaged spines
• Books with stains or dirt
• Books with a musty smell
• Books with underlining or highlighting
• Books that are wet or have visible mold and/or mildew
• Audio-visual materials that are damaged
• Audio-visual materials that are incomplete
• Any material in boxes containing mold, debris, pests, or dead animals

Gifts added to the collection are a means of replacing out-of-print materials, providing additional copies of popular and high-demand items, filling gaps in subject coverage, and an alternative means of acquiring materials that would otherwise have been purchased. Gifts will not be used as the sole or principal means of developing the collection.

Donations of magazines are placed in the magazine exchange in the foyer. Please remove all address labels. Donations of magazine subscriptions may be arranged through the Library Director.

III. Recognition Gifts

The Library welcomes monetary gifts for purchase of materials for the collection given in recognition of individuals or organizations. When the Library receives a cash donation for this purpose, the general nature or subject area of the materials purchased will be based on the wishes of the donor. Selections of specific titles, however, will be made by Library staff. The name(s) of the donor(s) or those recognized by the gift will be listed on a bookplate affixed to the material if desired and feasible.

IV. Monetary Gifts

The library welcomes gifts of cash or stock. Monetary gifts should be directed to the Friends of Kyle Library. Checks should be made out to Friends of Kyle Library and mailed to the following address:

Library Director

Kyle Public Library

550 Scott St.

Kyle, TX 78640

V. Real Estate

The Library will accept gifts of property that support the mission of the Library. Such offers will be handled by the Library Director, who in consultation with the Library Board will determine the suitability of the gift and the terms of acceptance compatible with the Library's mission and policies, the donor's intent, and applicable laws.

VI. Art and Decoration

Gifts of art shall be of professional quality, well executed, in good condition, and in harmony with the architecture and décor of the Library. Because the Library has limited display space and its mission is not that of a museum, acceptance of art and decoration may be limited. As with all other gifts, art objects will be accepted only with the donor's full agreement that the Library has the right to handle or dispose of the gift in the best interests of the institution. Long-term loans must have a formal written loan agreement in place prior to placement.

VII. Valuation

The Library provides gift acknowledgement on request, but will not appraise the value of gifts. Income tax regulations leave the determinations of the gift's monetary value to the donor, and donors wishing to have an appraisal of their gifts done for income tax purposes should do so prior to donation.

Approved by the Library Board on May 14, 2015.

Approved by the Kyle City Council on June 2, 2015.

Adopted on June 2, 2015.