4.3.1 — Donations and Gifts

Effective: December 12, 2024
Last Reviewed: November 1, 2024

  1. Purpose
  2. The purpose of this policy is to specify the type of donations that the Library will accept and how the Library will handle these donations.

  3. General Policy
    1. General Gifts and Donations. The Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) of the Jacksonville Public Library, at its sole discretion, may accept or decline donations of any kind that support and further the mission, goals and objectives of the Library, as established by the BOLT.
    2. Memorial and Gifts in Honor of Individuals or Groups. Gifts may be accepted in honor or in memoriam of a person or event. Acknowledgement of such a gift will be made in accordance with Library procedure.
    3. Appraisals of Gifts. The Library cannot and does not appraise books, works of art or any other items. The Library will not bear the cost of such an appraisal. Donors who wish to have the value of a donation specified must make all arrangements for and bear all costs of an appraisal. Appraisals must be done by an agency independent of the Library or the donor.
    4. Donor Restrictions. The Library may not be able to accept a donation if the donor places extensive and/or restrictive conditions on the use of the gift by the Library. The Library will work with the donor to reach an agreement on the disposition of the gift. However, the Library will not accept a gift if the donor's wishes cannot be carried out successfully by the Library for any reason or do not fall within the mission, goals and objectives of the Library. If this is determined to be so, the donor will be notified in writing and the gift returned.
    5. Signage. All decisions regarding directional and/or wayfaring signage with respect to the location of a donated item or items within the Library building is the prerogative of the Library.
    6. Ownership and Disposition. All gifts accepted by the Library become the property of the Library, which has the prerogative to keep or dispose of the items as it deems appropriate.

  4. Specific Donation Accepted
  5. The Library accepts the following types of gifts or donations:

    1. Gifts of Money
      1. Gifts of money may be accepted in any amount.
      2. Donors may indicate how they wish for the donation to be used by the Library, including the type of material, service or activity to be purchased, and the library facility in which it will be placed or used.
      3. Money may be accepted by the Library for the purposes of obtaining a naming opportunity. Policy 4.2.1 - Recognition and Naming governs Library naming opportunities.
    2. Gifts of Books and Other Library Materials
      1. The Library may accept gifts of books and other library materials in good condition which shall be evaluated in accordance with Policy 2.2.1 - Management of the Library Collection.
      2. Per City of Jacksonville Ordinance Code, library materials not added to the Library’s collection may be offered to Friends of the Library groups as determined by the BOLT.
      3. Donors may indicate how they wish the donated materials to be used by the Library.
    3. Gifts of Artwork, Furniture, Equipment, Memorabilia and Realia
      1. The Library may accept gifts of art, furniture, equipment, memorabilia and realia that support and further the mission, goals and objectives of the Library in consultation with the City of Jacksonville’s department of Risk Management.
      2. The placement and display of any donated item is the sole prerogative of the Library. The wishes of the donor regarding the location of the art will be taken into account by the Library.
    4. Gifts from Affinity Groups
    5. This policy shall apply to all gifts made by the Library’s Affinity Groups (including all Friends of the Library groups, the Library Foundation of Jacksonville, and other non-for-profit groups that exist for the sole purpose to support the Jacksonville Public Library and its branches and services) unless addressed specifically within a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the group’s governing board and the BOLT.

    6. Other Items
    7. Donation of any other types of gifts, including in-kind gifts, will be considered by the Library on a case-by-case basis.


  6. Procedures
  7. The Board of Library Trustees authorizes the Library Director to establish procedures to administer this policy, and to delegate any and all responsibilities herein to other staff through such procedures.

  8. Associated Policies:

  9. Associated Ordinances: