Gift and Donation Policy

The East Brunswick Public Library welcomes the assistance of citizens and organizations who wish to make contributions to the library in the form of monetary donations, bequests, trusts, or other tangible assets. Gifts and monetary contributions are intended as a supplement to the library’s operating budget and will not be used as a substitute for normal sources of funding.

The East Brunswick Public Library accepts gifts of money, books, materials, equipment, furnishings, supplies, works of art, services, and programs. Monetary contributions may be used to purchase library materials and provide programs and services, or may be invested with interest to be used to provide materials, programs and services.

The library reserves the right to refuse any gift that the Board of Trustees deems to not be in the best interest of the library to accept. If a gift is accepted by the library, the gift shall be final. No restrictions may be placed on the library’s ownership, possession, use, or disposition of the gift other than those approved by the Board of Trustees.

The library may solicit gifts of money, books, materials, equipment, furnishings, supplies, works of art, services, and programs. Donors will be acknowledged by letter. Where appropriate, bookplates or plaques will be attached to identify gifts. Donors whose gifts are used in productions of EBTV will receive a production credit. The library will dispose of solicited gifts when they are determined to be no longer useful by the Library Director. Gifts will be disposed of by sale, donation, or discard.

 

BOOKS

The library accepts gifts of books and media items in good physical condition. A list of items that are not accepted can be found on the library website. The library reserves the right to keep or dispose of gift materials at the discretion of the Library Director. Gift materials not added to the library collection will be disposed of by sale, donation, or discard. The library does not furnish appraisals of the value of donated material for tax purposes or any other reason, nor does it confirm the validity of appraisals.

 

MONETARY GIFTS

The library welcomes gifts of cash or stock. Cash contributions designated for the purchase of library materials will be deposited into a special trust account to be utilized for that purpose.

 

Donors can endow the purchase of a book for ten years through the Friends of the Library Book Endowment. Information about book endowments is available on the library website.

 

When a designated cash contribution is proposed, the Library Director will identify areas of need where such a contribution might be directed, and negotiate with the donor when necessary.

 

Undesignated contributions of $100 or less will be deposited into a special trust account to be utilized for the purchase of books. Contributions over $100 will be utilized for library purposes at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

 

BEQUESTS, TRUSTS, LIFE INSURANCE AND OTHER GIFTS

The library encourages individuals to contribute to the library through bequests, living trusts, life insurance beneficiary designation, and with gifts of stocks, real estate and other property. Such gifts may be unrestricted or restricted as to purpose, or may be utilized to establish an endowment fund with unrestricted or restricted income. The Library Director will consult with prospective donors to determine suitable projects for restricted monetary gifts.

 

WORKS OF ART

Gifts of art should be of local interest, professional quality and in good condition. Gifts of art will be accepted only with the donor’s agreement that the library has the right to handle or dispose of the gift in the best interests of the library. Gifts of art that take up excessive space or require special care or conservation will not be accepted.

 

FUTURE DISPOSITION OF GIFTS

The library does not guarantee that any gift will be kept by the library indefinitely. Items may be discarded due to wear and tear, damage, or obsolescence. Discarded items may be offered to other township departments, local libraries, or The Friends of the Library.