How to donate your collections to Dartmouth Libraries.
General Gifts
The Dartmouth Libraries does not accept large donations of books, journals, or other general collection items at this time.
Individual gift inquiries should be directed to Acquisitions and Collection Development. Library service desk staff are not able to accept unsolicited gifts of any size.
When making your initial inquiry, please provide the Title, Author, Publisher, Publication Date, and ISBN for the item.
The Libraries consider gifts based on the same criteria as for purchased materials, which may include space restrictions, the need for a local copy, and duplication of content held in other formats.
Dartmouth Libraries
Acquisitions Services – Gifts Program
6025 Baker-Berry Library
Hanover, NH 03755
603-646-2593
library.acquisitions@dartmouth.edu
Please Note
- The Libraries are not able to guarantee that all donated materials will be added to its collections, and it may discard or sell some donated items. We partner with Better World Books through their Library Discards and Donations Program whenever possible. We do not return such items to the donors.
- The Libraries acknowledge the extent of the gift in an acknowledgment letter but does not offer appraisal services for tax purposes.
Special Collections Gifts
The gift program in the Rauner Special Collections Library is unique. Rauner Library manages rare books, manuscripts, or materials produced by Dartmouth alumni. Please review Rauner Library information on donating materials, and contact a Rauner staff member directly for further information.
Rauner Special Collections Library collects books that support teaching and research across the curriculum.
We have particular strengths in American and English Literature, the history of printing and the book arts, Polar exploration, the literature of the White Mountains, and nineteenth-century illustrated books. But, because we serve a diverse liberal arts curriculum, we collect books in nearly all subject areas.
If you have materials that you are interested in donating, but are unsure if they fit our areas of collecting, please contact us to discuss your specific donation. If you would like to know more about books in your collection, you may want to consult the Your Old Books, a guide assembled by the Rare Book and Manuscript Division of the American Library Association.
How to Donate to Special Collections
The first step in making a book donation is to contact the Special Collections Librarian or College Archivist to determine if Rauner Special Collections Library is the best place for your donation.
Our Staff


Since arriving at Dartmouth in 2004, Jay has worked to integrate Special Collections into the intellectual life of the College through intensive curricular use of the collection. He is an advocate for hands on learning and creating meaningful connections between the past and the present with rare and unique materials. He is the author of “The World’s Best Books”: Taste, Culture and the Modern Library and holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Iowa.
Access Restrictions
Special Collections encourages full access to all manuscript collections. On occasion, access to a collection or specific materials within a collection may be restricted. In these instances, the Special Collections staff will work with the donor to define a reasonable set of restrictions.
Copyright
Copyright usually belongs to the creator, or the heirs of the creator, of the papers or records. Copyright may be retained by the donor or transferred to Dartmouth College. If you are unsure of the status of the copyright on a donation, you should consult with a copyright expert.
Monetary Appraisal for Tax Deductions
Donors may take a tax deduction for manuscript donations not created by the donor. Donors wishing to have more information on this matter should speak with either a tax consultant or an attorney. If you intend to claim a deduction of over $5,000, it is our understanding that the Internal Revenue Services requires a formal appraisal from a qualified appraiser. College policy prohibits Special Collections from providing monetary valuations of collections or individual items, and from hiring an appraiser for you. You can search the Association of American Antiquarian Booksellers database to find an appraiser in your area. If you are unable to locate an appraiser, repeat the search without specifying specialization and try contacting any listed bookseller. If they do not perform appraisals, they are likely to know someone who does.
Care for Collections
Special Collections is managed by professional archivists and librarians whose first priority is preservation of and access to historic materials. Special Collection staff arrange, describe and catalog collections to ensure ease of access by researchers.
Should a collection require repair or other conservation work, Special Collections will consult with Dartmouth Library's Preservation Services to determine proper handling and treatment. All materials are stored in acid-free containers in secure, climate-controlled areas. No primary source materials circulate, and only Special Collections staff may retrieve materials for researchers.
Monetary Donations
The cost of caring for, describing, and providing access to rare and historic materials is extremely high. Donors are encouraged to consider making a monetary donation toward the arrangement, description, and preservation of their donation.
Significant assistance with the text for this section came from A Guide To Donating Your Personal or Family Papers to a Repository, Society of American Archivists, 1994