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Milner Library

Gifts of Physical Materials to Milner Library Collections

Thank you for your interest in donating materials to Milner Library.

Milner Library is no longer able to accept most physical item donations for our general collection. This is due to serious space constraints and the high cost of reviewing and processing donated materials. We do make exceptions, however, when items meet all of the following conditions:

  1. They are valuable, unique, or specialized;
  2. They would meet known research or instructional needs at the University; and
  3. They are not easily available to us through partner libraries (e.g., interlibrary loan).

We will also consider materials that could enhance our Special Collections or important content that was produced by members of the Illinois State University community.

Please do not drop off unsolicited gifts.

For Your Donation to be Considered

In advance of bringing materials to Milner Library, the donor must supply a list of items to be donated; this should include the title, author, publisher, and year of publication for each item. This will allow library employees to review and select materials that we may add to the collection. Without this list, we cannot accept gifts. Milner Library is unable to provide staff to assist with the creation of lists.

For a donation to be considered, please contact Milner’s Head of Collection Development, Chad Buckley, at cebuckle@IllinoisState.edu.

Special Cases

  • Personal libraries

    (including housed in faculty offices)

    Donors should consult well in advance with the relevant Subject Specialist. The library is not able to do “office cleanouts.”

  • Collections from other campus units

    Units must consult with the relevant Subject Specialist(s) and other library staff before making a proposal to transfer a collection. These proposals must be approved by Milner Library Administration.

  • University-related materials

    Contact the University Archives for information about donating these materials.

Accepted Donations

If we accept your gift, it is with the understanding that it becomes the property of the University, and the library will make all decisions regarding its retention, location, cataloging, use, and disposition.

If donated materials are accepted, they will be entered into the library’s existing processing queue and processed according to established priorities. Milner Library cannot make promises or guarantees as to processing times when accepting gifts and will not accept gifts with conditions attached (either verbally or in writing).

Other Options for Donating

In addition to donating to local public libraries, Goodwill, or Salvation Army, these organizations may appreciate your donation of books:

Other Ways to Support Milner Library

Please consider reviewing our Giving Page to learn about other ways to support the library.

Additional Links