AFBI Library Donations Policy

Introduction

The Library welcomes donations of appropriate research materials subject to the guidelines and conditions outlined below. In all cases, the Library will balance the value of the donation against the costs of cataloguing, processing, storing and conserving the material.

Guidelines for Acceptance of Donations

1. Items donated should:
   • be consistent with the research interests and must fall within the Library’s Collection Development Policy
   • be in good physical condition
   • have a recent publication date or content that is considered to be current; the exception is where the item is considered to have an historical or research value
   • either constitute unique/valuable material not easily accessible from elsewhere or provide additional copies of existing, used material which will add value to the working collections
2. The Library encourages all AFBI staff to donate a copy of any publication written or edited by them to the Library.
3. Materials not generally accepted include: outdated textbooks, newspapers, popular magazines and incomplete journal runs.

Conditions of Acceptance

1. The Library reserves the right to accept or refuse prospective donations; acceptance is at the discretion of the AFBI Librarian.
2. Except in very exceptional circumstances, it is not possible to accommodate restrictions of any kind from the donor.
3. Potential donors should be aware that if a donation is accepted by the Library, it will not be possible in most cases to retain it as a discrete collection. With the exception of some valuable or unique donations, material will be dispersed within the existing Library collections, according to classification. 
4. Donations accepted become the exclusive and absolute property of the Library and may be disposed of if they cease to be of value to the Library’s collections. 
5. The Library can accept no responsibility for valuations or subsequent appraisals of donated material. 
6. The delivery of donated items should be by prior arrangement with the AFBI Librarian. Contact details may be found at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/afbi/ContactUs/ 

Donation of Journal Volumes

As the availability of electronic journals and pressure on storage space increase, the Library is unlikely to accept previously unsubscribed runs of journals. However, donations which fill in gaps in existing print collections will be considered.

Large Donations

1. In the case of large donations, the donor is responsible for preparing a list of documents for donation.
2. The AFBI Librarian should be consulted concerning large/significant donations.

Disposal of Unwanted Items

The Library reserves the right to dispose of donations not required, by any method.

Acknowledgement of gifts

A standard letter of thanks will be sent in acknowledgement of all donations accepted by the Library.

 

AFBI Library Service January 2024