Donations have always been the main way for our rare book collections to grow. Books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and parish histories, donated by generous benefactors over many decades (including such great friends of our Library as Msgr. Arthur Connolly, James Card. Gibbons, Bishop Thomas J. Shahan, to name a few), became the lifeblood of our holdings. These contributions, spanning from the dawn of our collection in the 1880s to contemporary donations in the 2020s, are incredibly diverse in size, content, format, topic, visual appearance, and age. Despite this diversity, all these treasured objects share two common threads. First, their previous owners loved and cherished them, whether it was out of personal attachment, a collector’s passion, or family history, and secondly, at a certain point in their lives, they all considered finding a new home for their beloved treasures. 

Rare books (which are not always old), often need special care in handling, preservation, or conservation, but it’s not the only thing the donors care about. They also want the books to be accessible—seen, read, consulted for research, presented to classes, and exhibited to patrons—in other words, available to the public. This is a deep desire of many collectors, who spend decades meticulously assembling a unique collection, gem by gem. They realize that the work of their lives is more than just a hobby, but may benefit humanity if made accessible and studied as an entity.

For a private person, it’s not always easy to ensure it all: proper preservation requires a controlled environment, conservation may be costly, and providing access will also require significant resources. Often, potential donors, especially such as former or retiring faculty, alumni, members of the clergy, or faithful Catholics, contact us at the Special Collections at the Catholic University of America Libraries, as the central repository of such books and a great center of research and scholarship. In our turn, we are always grateful to all for reaching out with their offers. Regardless of the outcome, we thank you for your effort.

Whether we accept an offer depends on multiple factors. Is this book really rare and somewhat unique, and not only looking old? Do we already have it or maybe it’s something that would perfectly fill the gap in our collections? How does it fit our collecting scope? Will it help our school in fulfilling its mission? Would we or some other place be the best home for a particular item? All these and many more factors and questions need to be taken into consideration before we agree to accept the item and discuss its transfer to us. It may seem overwhelming and somewhat complicated. So, although our collecting policies and procedures are posted online, we would like to simplify the process a bit. 

If you are considering a donation and searching for more information about HOW TO do it, you are at the right place

1. First of all, let me emphasize that we are very grateful to every person who considers our collections a proper home for their treasured books and desires to support us and our mission. We can assure you, if your gift is accepted, it will be taken proper care of. 
2. Here are a few things you may consider doing before contacting us:
   1. Get familiar with our collecting scope to learn about the areas of interest in our holdings. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not limited to Catholic American publications and Catholic theology but also includes other areas of research. If your books fit our scope, that’s wonderful, but there’s one more step to do.

   2. 

      Prepare a list of items you would like to donate. A simple inventory should include at least the author, title, place, and year of publication. A brief note on the ownership history, unique elements (inscriptions, stamps, doodles, etc.), and the item’s condition would be extremely helpful. These additional elements may add significantly to the book’s historical or research value.

   3. Share the list with us via email. You may also include any information you deem essential. Feel free to add photos if you wish, but no worries if something is not included. We will always get back to you if we have questions.
   4. Be patient and allow us some time to review your offer. We may need to examine every single item on the list and check it against our catalog and holdings. Accepting a gift is a responsibility, and we need to make sure we do due diligence. 
3. To contact us, the preferred way is via email at lib-rarebooks@cua.edu. This allows you to attach any additional files or information that may be helpful in our decision. We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible, depending on our workload. 
4. Please, note: we do not offer appraisal services. If you need an appraisal for personal or tax purposes, please consider consulting a professional appraiser. The following links may be of help: the American Society of Appraisers and The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), whose websites include up-to-date directories of booksellers and appraisers.

To learn more about our collections, please check out our previous rare books blog posts. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding this process, feel free to contact us at lib-rarebooks@cua.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you.