Gifts and Donations Policies

As the Murray State community relies more and more on learning centers, electronic resources, and the most current of academic literature, your donations will be invaluable in helping us to more adequately serve students, faculty and alumni. Questions about giving can be directed to Brandon Anderson in the Development Office.

Murray State University Libraries accept donations of materials that support the teaching and research needs of the University community.  Please complete the gift form below if your donated item(s) exceed a fair market value of $50.00.

• Gifts with limitations or restrictions will not be accepted. University Libraries are free to exercise all privileges of ownership of the materials and reserve the right to retain, sell, or discard them. 
• Donated items will be recognized, accepted, and may be tax-deductible. The patron will need to supply an itemized list and estimated values for those items beforehand. Questions about our Gift-in-Kind Policy can be directed to Candee Rose at 270.809.2187.

​Guidelines

Generally, the Libraries will accept material relevant to the Murray State University curriculum. Gifts must be in good condition and current (with the exception of rare or special books). The Libraries CANNOT accept the following items:

• Textbooks
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Test prep materials
• Workbooks
• LPs
• Video or audio cassettes
• CD-ROMs
• Software
• Materials previously purchased from one of our book sales
• Prior internal donations from the libraries to the department
• Journals/Periodicals
• Fiction novels with the exception of classic literature or popular contemporary literature
• Duplicate copies of items already owned
• Unsolicited materials from most organizations, or
• Any material deemed not appropriate as outlined by our Collection Development Policies or decided by our Research & Instruction Librarians

Consistent with legal guidelines, Murray State University employees CANNOT make appraisals or valuations of materials for tax or other purposes and cannot accept a donation with a stipulation that a tax appraisal be included.  

• Some websites that donors find helpful in valuing their donation include: BookFinder, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Alibris.
• If you deem your donation to be $5,000 dollars or greater, please contact the Development Office.