Georgia State University Libraries can no longer accept donations of printed books, journals, and other materials. This policy reflects the need to repurpose library space to support individual and group study and reflects the high cost of sorting, reviewing, and processing donated materials. There are two exceptions to this policy:

1. The GSU Libraries welcomes gifts of books written by GSU faculty that are not currently in our general collection. Send these donations to Skye Hardesty, skye@gsu.edu, Department Head, Collection Development & Discovery.
2. Special Collections & Archives accepts printed materials that are directly related to our collecting areas or are rare. We do not accept modern books and only accept rare books that fall within the listed subject areas or imprint dates:

Subject Areas

• Americana, particularly books published in or about Georgia or by Georgia authors
• American imprints before 1870, especially travel, settlement, politics, biography, city and county histories
• Confederate State imprints between 1861 and 1865
• Selected contemporary Southern writers, such as Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor, and Tennessee Williams
• Early British classics in philosophy, history, or literature

Imprint Dates

• Books published before 1800
• English books published before 1800
• American books published before 1870

Contact Special Collections and Archives at archives@gsu.edu to set up an appointment to assess whether we will accept your books. In your message, briefly describe what you are considering donating. An archivist will contact you to discuss whether your items fit our collections and help you prepare your items for donation. To learn more about donating, see: Donating personal collections

Monetary Gifts

Although GSU Libraries does not accept unsolicited or anonymous material gifts for the general collection, monetary donations are very welcome. If you are considering making a financial gift, please visit https://library.gsu.edu/giving/.

Other Options for Donating Books (not an exhaustive list)

1. Atlanta AAUW Chapter
2. Better World Books
3. Books for Africa
4. Goodwill
5. Public Library Friends of the Library Groups

History: Replaces Orgn Memo 101 Gifts Policy dated 8/2/95. Revised by Collection Development Officer and Acquisitions Department Head; reviewed by LibAdmin 11/02/04; approved by Library Administrative Council 12/14/04. Revised by Collection Development, 10/2009. Approved by Library Administrative Council 12/15/09. Revised and approved by Library Administrative Council 11/15/16, Reviewed by Collection Development, 04/2018; New Policy to Replace Collection Development Library Materials Donation Policy, 7/2021