Giving to Yale Library

Sterling Memorial Library
Linonia and Brothers (L&B) Reading Room
Beinecke Special Collections Reading Room
Haas Arts Library Reading Room
Young Family Study, Marx Library
Hanke Exhibition Gallery
Sterling Nave
Manuscripts and Archives Reading Room
Medical Historical Library
Preservation and Conservation
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Give to Yale Library

Beinecke Special Collections Reading Room

Join us in supporting and enhancing learning, teaching, and research.

Every part of the university depends on the library: for access to its wealth of collections, its innovative teaching collaborations, its research and reference services, and the expertise of its dedicated librarians, curators, and technical staff.

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More than three hundred years ago, Yale was founded with a gift of 417 books.

Out of this initial gift grew an unsurpassed institution of higher learning, and a library that attracts students and scholars from around the world. By virtue of its vast size and rich collections, Yale University Library ranks among the leading research libraries worldwide. We provide essential access to this collection for our users in a variety of ways, whether they are tracking down a book in the stacks at Sterling Memorial Library or using our vast array of digital resources for research at home. For generations, the library has created, provided, and protected the essential infrastructure that enables Yale’s academic community to create new knowledge.

Questions about giving to Yale Library? Contact Basie Gitlin at basie.gitlin@yale.edu or (203) 432-9851.

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Donating Books and Other Materials

The library’s collections include written matter of every kind—papyrus and ancient manuscripts, books old and new, unique prints and posters—but they also go beyond the written word in many ways. Materials such as maps, photographs, sound recordings, musical scores, moving images, artworks, coins, digital archives, and other items of cultural and historical importance can be found throughout the collection.

About Donating Books and Materials

Yale Library occasionally accepts offers of rare or unique materials that extend and complement existing collections. Due to the high cost of processing and storage, we accept donated materials very selectively.

We must turn down all but the most extraordinary offers. If you do not hear from a curator or librarian within two weeks of contacting the library, you may assume the library cannot add the materials you offer to its collections.

Please note that self-published books and audio and visual material (including phonograph records, CDs, VHS tapes, and DVDs) are generally not considered to be rare or unique.

Conditions of Acceptance

Accepted gifts become the property of Yale University upon receipt. The library may make all necessary decisions as to their retention, location, cataloging, and other considerations relating to their use and disposition. Materials accepted but not added to the library collections may be exchanged with other libraries throughout the world, sold, or disposed of through charitable organizations, or other means. We do not accept unsolicited drop-offs of any material.

In-kind gifts to Yale Library may provide you with federal and state income tax benefits. In accordance with IRS regulations, the library cannot appraise any donations.

Contacting the Library

If you are considering a donation of materials to Yale Library or have a question, please contact Amauri Serrano, Head of Collection Strategy: amauri.serrano@yale.edu.

Other Places to Donate Books and Other Materials

Rare or Unique Materials: In seeking an alternative home for your rare or unique material, we encourage you to investigate other academic institutions as well as independent research libraries.
- Association of Research Libraries – List of Members
- Membership and Subscription Libraries
- Your Old Books, Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association. This guide addresses some frequently asked questions about rare and older books and their values.
General Materials
- Book Donation Programs, American Library Association

University Library Council

The University Library Council brings together a group of distinguished Yale alumni and friends of the university who have a demonstrated commitment to the vision and goals of Yale’s libraries. Chair Nancy M. Better ’84 works closely with Barbara Rockenbach, the Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian, and with Basie Gitlin, who leads Yale Library’s development efforts.

About the Council

The Council aims to provide support for Yale Library through strategic introductions, networking with individuals and foundations, and facilitating regional events in order to help the library realize its full potential as one of the world’s leading research centers. Council members are at the core of the library’s development efforts, serving as ambassadors within their spheres of influence.

Council Meetings and Events

The University Library Council meets twice yearly in New Haven. Council members are based across the country and often volunteer to host fundraising events in their areas.

Membership

Nancy M. Better ’84 (Chair)

Barbara Rockenbach, Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian

Basie Bales Gitlin ’10, Senior Director, Development and External Affairs, Yale University Library and Yale Collections

J. Frederick Berg, Jr. ’66

Arvind Bhaskar ’07

John Robinson Block ’77

Amy Butte ’90

James Forrest Clark ’96

Bruce Feiler ’87

Barbara E. Franke

Hope Furth

Richard S. Gardiner ’89

Mark P. Gimbel ’93

Lynn W. Hanke

Katherine Haskins

Gittel Hilibrand ’90

Ellen M. Iseman ’76

Peggy Edersheim Kalb ’86

Elai Katz ’92

Wesley M. LePatner ’03

Dr. Frederick H. Lovejoy, Jr. ’59

Claire S. Milonas ’92

Glenn E. Murphy, Jr. ’71

David A. Richards ’67, ’72 JD

Becky Vitas Schamis ’00 MBA

Eric J. Schneider ’03

Stephen A. Stack, Jr. ’67

Lisa Evanson Washburn ’89

William H. Wright II ’82 (Founding Chair)

Yale Library Associates

Associates in the Exhibition Corridor The Yale Library Associates was founded in 1930 “to help keep the library in its proper position as a great world-collection of books indispensable to the University whose heart and center it constitutes.” Supporters are invited to attend special events throughout the year, including lectures, exhibitions, openings, receptions, performances, and symposia. Donations to the Yale Library Associates have been, and continue to be, essential to making the library the world-class institution that it is today. All those who make financial or collections gifts are considered Yale Library Associates.

Yale Library Associates Trustees

Barbara Rockenbach, Secretary

Michelle Light, Ex-Officio

Lynn W. Hanke, Chair

James Forrest Clark, Vice-Chair

Joseph V. Agostini, MD

Robert Allison

Hosea T. Baskin

J. Frederick Berg, Jr.

Arvind Bhaskar

Adam Brenner

Dr. Thomas Kimball Brooker

Allan E. Bulley III

Joseph N. Cohen

William N. Goetzmann

Frederick Goldstein

Ellen M. Iseman

Elai Katz

Linn Cary Mehta

Jerrold I.W. Mitchell

Heather O’Donnell

John Raben

David M. Rumsey

Stephen K. Scher

Fred Schreiber

James A. Shapiro

Robert H. Smith, Jr.

Mary-Jo Warren

Honorary Trustees

Andrew P. Davis

William H. Greer, Jr.

Susan Howe

Richard C. Levin

William P. MacKinnon

David Alan Richards

Elihu Rose

David Supino

Toshiyuki Takamiya

G. Thomas Tanselle

The Alumni Fund for Library Resources

Graduating students in front of Sterling

Yale College alumni can make Alumni Fund gifts that directly benefit the library. When you select “Library Resources” as the area of support on an Alumni Fund contribution card or online, your gift will go to the Alumni Fund for Library Resources.

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Through this fund, alumni provide flexible and readily accessible income that allows the library to respond to unforeseen challenges and take advantage of unexpected opportunities. For example, in early 2020 when universities and libraries were shutting their doors due to the pandemic, Yale Library was able to spearhead an innovative program to mail material from its collection directly to readers at home. This enduringly popular mail-to-address service demonstrates the significance of flexible funding, especially in times of unexpected change.

Yale Library has a direct and significant impact on the life and work of every student and faculty member at Yale. The teaching, research, and dynamic student experiences for which Yale is known are all immeasurably enriched by the collections, digital resources, and expert staff of the library. By any measure, it is one of the best and most accessible libraries in the world.

From 1714, when Isaac Newton donated the second edition of his Principia, to the present day, friends and alumni have demonstrated their belief in Yale University by supporting its library. If you would like to continue this tradition, please consider supporting the Alumni Fund for Library Resources. Thousands of students, faculty, and researchers thank you.

If you would like more information about the Alumni Fund for Library Resources, please contact Basie Gitlin at basie.gitlin@yale.edu.

Thank you for your support!

Contact Us

Basie Bales Gitlin
Senior Director, Development and External Affairs, Yale University Library and Yale Collections
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven, CT 06520-8240
(203) 432-9851 (phone)
basie.gitlin@yale.edu

Yale Library