Types of Materials to Donate

The UO Libraries seek hard cover books as well as high quality paperback books of scientific, scholarly, literary, or artistic substance. We will also accept other appropriate formats including sound recordings, scores, slides, photographs, manuscripts, and videos/DVDs.

Typically we do not need duplicate copies. We do not generally accept outdated textbooks (older than five years), popular magazines or mass market paperbacks, most U.S. government publications, miscellaneous issues or short runs of journals and magazines, or obsolete formats (8-track tapes, old computer disks or formats requiring dated software to run). Processing costs generally preclude our adding materials in poor condition, especially deteriorating, brittle books.

In general, the UO Libraries do not accept the following for addition to the collection (Special Collections and Archives may make exceptions):

Journals and magazines (for large journal/magazine runs please contact us for pre-approval)
Highlighted or underlined materials
Water-damaged materials
Mold-damaged materials
Materials in poor physical condition
Off-prints of journal articles or book chapters
Programs for conferences that list only dates, times, and speakers, but do not include the papers presented or the abstracts of papers
Outdated college-level textbooks
Mass market paperbacks
Copies of items already owned by the University Libraries
Personal recordings of broadcast media (e.g., TV, radio, etc.)

Gifts in the following formats may be accepted after review by the appropriate subject specialist:

LP records
78 rpm records
Laserdiscs
U-matics
3/4 inch videos
Reel-to-reel audio
Slides
35mm Film
Software
Compact discs
Cassettes without historic value
Recordings made at UO

For gifts to be donated to Special Collections and University Archives, please refer to the information here:

Maintained by: Acquisitions Staff
Last Modified: 02/18/2010