Library Material Donations

Library Material Donations

The Library welcomes gifts of books, maps and other materials that extend and complement existing special collections. Indeed, the Library relies heavily upon donors to help sustain its growth, many of the Library’s most valuable resources and special collections originated in this way.  The same criteria used for the purchase of new materials are applied when gifts are reviewed. In both cases, the decision is based upon the demands, present and anticipated, of the University’s programs of teaching and research.

Contacts for collections are listed below. For general questions about donating materials, contact libcirc@mines.edu.

The Library is Interested in Donations of

  • Books, publications, technical materials, papers, photos, memorabilia and small artifacts that support our four Special Collections:
    – Russell L. & Lyn Wood Mining History Archive
    – Colorado School of Mines History Archive
    – Tell Ertl Oil Shale Repository
    – Center for Ropeway Studies (ski lifts, materials tramways, etc.)
  • Geologic maps, mining maps, petroleum-related maps, non-U.S. maps
  • Aerial photographs of Colorado
  • U.S. Bureau of Mines materials from the 1990s
  • U.S. Geological Survey, Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, and Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories materials from 1872 to 1920
  • Department of Energy Technical Reports

Materials that fall outside the scope listed above are generally not accepted. We recommend donating these kinds of materials to the Jefferson County Library Foundation.

Acceptance Statement

Gifts of materials are accepted by the Library with the understanding that, once received, they are owned by the University. The Library reserves the right to determine their retention, location, cataloging treatment and other considerations related to their use or disposition.

How to Make a Donation

To give a gift to the Library, contact:

The Library Representative will discuss the materials with the donor and indicate whether or not the gift would be of value to the Library.

  • In order to help make such a decision, a list of the items to be donated is very useful. In addition, the gift may have to be examined.
  • If the Library agrees to accept the donation, items must be boxed and delivered to the Library at a pre-arranged day and time. There are times when we are not able to accept donations or deliveries.
  • We will provide a Gift Agreement form that is acceptable to the IRS.
  • IRS rules prohibit us from assigning value to donated materials.
  • Sorry, we are not able to do pick-ups or offsite reviews of collections, or pay shipping costs.

Donors with items of unusual value and/or with independent formal appraisals should contact the University Librarian