GIFT AND DONATION POLICY
The Cornwall Public Library encourages the interest and involvement of citizens and organizations through bequests, trusts, and donations of monetary or other tangible assets for Library purposes. It is understood that special gifts and bequests should not take the place of public support but should enable the Library to provide and enhance services in ways not financially possible within the current operating budget.
In general, the Cornwall Public Library welcomes gifts of money, books and other materials, equipment, works of art, documents, photographs, or property of any kind which promotes the mission of the Library. The Library reserves the right to refuse any gift that the Library Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems to be not in the best interests of the Library to accept. If a gift is accepted by the Library, the gift shall be final; no restrictions on the Library’s ownership, possession, use, or disposition of the gift shall be effective other than restrictions approved by the express vote of the Library Board of Trustees and memorialized in writing.
Guidelines:
Monetary gifts: The Library welcomes gifts of cash or stock. If the gift is used to purchase library materials, Library staff will try to accommodate the donor’s subject or title preferences. A label with the donor’s name will be affixed to the item purchased when appropriate. Because the Friends of the Cornwall Public Library has been granted a 501(C)3 status by the Internal Revenue Service and gifts to this organization are income tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, monetary gifts should be made payable to the Friends of the Cornwall Library.
Materials: Gifts of miscellaneous books or other materials in good condition may be accepted. Donated materials are evaluated using the same criteria that are applied to purchased materials. Donated materials which do not meet these criteria will be disposed of at the discretion of the Library. These items may be given to the Friends of the Cornwall Public Library for sale, given to other libraries, or discarded. The Library may need to limit the quantity of books /material donations that can be given at any one time. The Library has the right to refuse any donated materials. Materials for donation must be brought into the Library during open hours; any materials left outside the library will be discarded.
Collections: Gift collections will be accepted only by the Director in consultation with the Board of Trustees and with the understanding that the collection may not be kept intact.
Memorial gifts: The Library welcomes monetary gifts for purchase of materials for the collections given in recognition or memory of individuals or organizations. Memorial gifts should be made payable to the Friends of the Cornwall Library. Whenever possible, the Library staff will purchase items which accommodate the donor’s subject or title preferences. The name(s) of the donor(s) and those recognized by the gift will be listed on a bookplate affixed to the material, if so desired. The donor must bear the full cost of any donated item. For items other than materials it shall be the final decision of the Library Board of Trustees as to whether or not a plaque shall be affixed to or near an item. The Library will be in charge of selecting, designing and installing any memorial gift plaques, labels or bookplates. The wording will be composed in consultation with the donor.
Real estate or other personal property: The Library will accept gifts of real property that either support or could be sold to support the mission of the Library. Such offers will be handled by the Director, who in consultation with the Board of Library Trustees 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.
Art and decorative objects: In general, gifts of art objects shall be of local interest to the community, of a professional quality, well-executed, and in good condition. 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. Because of the Library’s limited display and storage areas and focus on its primary mission as a library and not a museum, potential donors of art and decorative objects are requested to discuss any possible gifts with the Director. No gifts that require extensive, regular special care or conservation will be accepted without board approval.
Valuation: With the exception of routine book and materials donations, the Library, Friends, or Foundation will provide a timely, written acknowledgement of the receipt of gifts to the donor and, if desired, to a recognized individual or organization. The Library will not appraise items for tax purposes. Income tax regulations leave the determination of the gift’s monetary value to the donor. Donors wishing to have an appraisal of their gifts for income tax purposes should have that done prior to donation.
Future disposition of gifts: Libraries used extensively by their patrons sustain losses through theft, mutilation, and ordinary wear. Resources with obsolete and/or misleading information may be discarded with time. The Library, therefore, cannot guarantee that any gift will be part of the collection or furnishings permanently. Excess articles may be offered to other libraries, given to the Friends or discarded.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to refuse any gift or donation as it sees fit.
Gift and Donation Policy 7/2019 Approved by Board of Trustees 9/12/19
CORNWALL PUBLIC LIBRARY GIFT AGREEMENT
The Board of Trustees greatly appreciates this donation.
Donor Name:
Date:
Address:
Telephone:
Email Address:
The Cornwall Public Library gratefully accepts the following gift with the understanding that it is offered free of any restrictions. The Library may display, loan, retain, sell, or otherwise dispose of the gift in any manner deemed by the Library Board of Trustees to be in the best interests of the Library.
Description of Gift: