Gifts of materials are accepted with the understanding that, once received, they become the property of the Indiana University South Bend Libraries. The IU South Bend Libraries reserve the right to make all necessary decisions regarding retention, location, and disposition. Most materials not added to the Libraries’ collections are sold at library-sponsored book sales or sent to a non-profit organization.

Anyone interested in donating materials to the IU South Bend Libraries is encouraged to contact Susan Thomas, Director of Collection Services, 574-520-5500 or suethoma@iusb.edu. She can answer questions and provide more information about donation procedures.

Donations should be delivered to the Circulation Desk located on the main floor of the Franklin D. Schurz Library. It is the responsibility of the donor to arrange for delivery or shipment of materials to the Schurz Library. Donors are required to complete a Library Donor Agreement Form. Donors may provide an inventory of the materials donated but this is not a requirement. The IU South Bend Libraries will not provide a list of items donated, just a count of the materials.

Complete Donor Agreement Form

State and federal tax legislation encourage charitable donations, which include gifts to library collections. In addition to the tax deduction at the federal level, Indiana law allows a tax credit against adjusted gross income tax liability for contributions made to eligible colleges and universities. This credit is available even if you do not itemize deductions on the federal return. Consult the Indiana College Credit Schedule CC-40 for further information.  

Claims for tax deductions for collections valued over $5,000 should be appraised by a qualified appraiser. For additional information about assessing the value of donated property, please refer to IRS Publication 561 (Determining the Value of Donated Property), http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf.

By law, Indiana University South Bend Libraries cannot provide an appraisal for the gift’s value. Any required appraisal is the responsibility of the donor and must be done prior to the donation. A detailed reconstruction of the contents of a gift cannot be provided afterward.

The Dean of Libraries sends an acknowledgment letter to the donor with the number and type of items donated.  This letter may be used by the donor to document and verify the donation.