General Donations
If you would like to make a monetary or physical donation to the Spiva Library, we would be delighted to receive it! We accept both new and gently used books, DVDs, and other material that support our collections. Donated items must meet our standards for acquiring new material, including age, condition, and quality of content. Acceptance of a donation does not guarantee inclusion in the Library’s collections. Once a gift or donation is offered, it becomes property of the Library and may be disposed of, sold, or incorporated into the collection as the Library sees fit. Please note a temporary disruption in our book donation process until the summer of 2025. We will still gratefully accept your material donations (as well as provide you with a list of the donated material and a thank you letter), but we will not be evaluating material for inclusion/exclusion at this time. Donated books will be kept in storage until we are able to get to them. If this presents an issue, please contact Melissa Forsythe (forsythe-m@mssu.edu)
Material donations can be dropped off at Library office L-329. Donors must sign a Donation Agreement Form. You can print one in advance and bring it with you if you visit the Donation Agreement tab above. Monetary donations can be made through coordination with the Library Director.
If you would like to make a purchase in coordination with the Library, whether in memory of a loved one or as a personal gift, please reach out to Melissa Forsythe (417.659.4039, forsythe-m@mssu.edu). We can share wish list items, select material that reflect the interests of your loved one, or discover titles that our academic departments need most. We'd love to work with you!
Archival Donations
For material destined for the Archival collections, donors will need to complete an Archives & Special Collections Agreement and work closely with and work closely with Archivist Whitney Hamm (417.625.9552, hamm-w@mssu.edu) to determine if the material is suited for our collections.
Additional Notes
It is the responsibility of the donor to keep a list of items donated and to obtain an appraisal of value if one is wanted. Internal Revenue Service regulations prohibit libraries from appraising gifts they receive. Gifts appraised at more than $5,000 are accepted only after it has been determined that the items are wanted for the collections.
Only the Library Director may approve acceptance of gifts with special stipulations concerning copyright, legal title, restricted access, location, or other restrictions. Establishment of separate named and/or housed collections is discouraged, as collections are most useful when integrated with other material on the same subject.
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