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Book & Material Donation Policy

Guidelines for individuals and organizations considering donating books and scholarly materials to the USJ Library.

The USJ Library does not actively solicit print donations. Due to available space and collection development considerations, the Library can only accept materials that directly support the University’s teaching and research activities. The University must authorize the acceptance of all donated materials.

Donation at a Glance

Key principles governing the acceptance and management of donations.

Academic Relevance

Donations should directly support the University’s degree-level disciplines, teaching, learning, or research activities.

University Authorization

Acceptance of all donated materials is subject to authorization by the University.

Library Discretion

The Library determines whether accepted materials will be retained, processed, or disposed of when they are duplicates or unsuitable.

Materials Usually Accepted

The following categories of material will usually be considered for donation.

  1. 1
    Publications by USJ Academics Publications authored or produced by University of Saint Joseph academics, in any format.
  2. 2
    Scholarly Sample or Review Copies New sample or review copies of scholarly works.
  3. 3
    Recent Scholarly Works Recent scholarly works that are relevant to research activities at the University of Saint Joseph.
  4. 4
    Art Catalogues with a USJ Connection Art catalogues with a specific connection to the University of Saint Joseph.
  5. 5
    Scholarly Manuscripts Manuscripts of scholarly works that may contribute to the University’s academic and research collections.

Materials That May Be Excluded

The following types of material may generally be excluded unless there is a specific academic need or prior approval.

  1. 1
    Materials Unrelated to USJ Disciplines Donation materials that are unrelated to any University of Saint Joseph degree-level discipline.
  2. 2
    Incomplete Sets Incomplete sets of publications, unless specifically approved by the Library.
  3. 3
    Independently Published Autobiographies and Family Memoirs Autobiographies and family memoirs that have been independently published.
  4. 4
    Slim Volumes of Poetry Slim volumes of poetry by unknown poets.
  5. 5
    Polemical Works Polemical works concerning contentious issues, such as geopolitical or historical topics, will generally only be accepted when there is demonstrated academic demand.
  6. 6
    Outdated Textbooks Outdated textbooks, including works on politics, economics, and trade that are more than two years old.
  7. 7
    Outdated Law or Medical Human Sciences Works Works in law or medical human sciences that have been superseded by updated editions more than two years ago.
  8. 8
    Non-Academic Publications Non-academic publications, including general-interest or decorative “coffee table” books.
  9. 9
    Duplicate Journal Issues Duplicate back issues of print journals may only be accepted when they can be used to fill gaps in an existing print run held by the Library.
  10. 10
    Poor-Condition Materials Materials in poor physical condition will only be considered when there is a specific academic demand for them.

Library Assessment & Disposition

The USJ Library reserves the right to determine the retention and processing of donated materials. Where a title is a duplicate, unsuitable for the Library’s collection, or otherwise does not meet its collection needs, the Library also reserves the right to determine its appropriate disposition.