Donations of Books and Other Research Materials

Donors contribute significantly to strengthening the collections and fulfilling the mission of AU Library through their gifts of books, manuscripts, and other library materials, which are an indispensable resource for the teaching and research activities of Ajman University Library. Gifts of books and other materials play a crucial role in building the collections of AU Library.

The Library continues to welcome gifts of materials that support the Library’s mission, with particular interest in scholarly, current, or rare items in good physical condition. However, the Library must also consider the cost incurred in evaluating, processing, cataloging, preserving, storing, and providing access to contributed materials.

For these reasons, the Library cannot accept all offered gifts of materials. Once gifts are received, items become the property of AU Library. The Library reserves the right to use or dispose of such materials in any manner deemed appropriate, without any obligation to the person making the donation.

The Library staff will evaluate potential gifts in terms of institutional value and consider whether materials support the collection development goals for a particular subject area when assessing a gift.

How to donate to the Library:

We very much appreciate all offers of gifts. However, before sending us any items, please read the following information:

• All donations are accepted without obligation to the donors and on the understanding that upon receipt the material becomes the property of the University Library.

In general, the following factors are considered:

• Value for teaching or research.
• Relevance to existing collections.
• Physical condition.
• The currency of the edition. For most subjects, only the latest edition will be accepted.
• Duplication of existing materials (only if material is in particularly high demand, duplicates will be accepted).
• Associated costs of cataloguing, processing, conservation requirements and storage. Although the Library may not be paying for the acquisition of items, it still incurs costs associated with housing materials, and these must be considered. These factors may also mean that the Library is unable to give immediate priority to the cataloguing and processing of donated items.
• Local, national and international significance.
• Copies of books written by Ajman University academics are welcomed.
• The Library regularly reviews its collections and reserves the right to dispose the items that do not meet these factors at any time.
• Larger donations will normally be dispersed throughout the Library rather than kept in separate, discrete collections.

If you are considering donating please contact the Acquisitions Team via aulibrary@ajman.ac.ae and include the following details:

• Approximate number of items (either numbers of books or measurement of the total space the books occupy if on shelves).
• A list of titles.
• Age and condition of the books.
• Your contact details.
• If you wish to donate issues of a journal, please contact the team with details of the volumes concerned.

AU Libraries will not offer or accept the following:

• Items that fail to add value to the Libraries' Collection scope or holdings.
• Magazines or newspapers.
• Incomplete sets or any items that are missing parts.
• Used older textbooks or material with highlighting or handwriting.
• Material that contains outdated information about health, science, business, travel guides, technical books‎, etc. ‎
• Reader's Digest condensed books.
• Mass market (pocket) paperbacks, advertisements, flyers, pamphlets, postcards, and other promotional ‎material.
• Damaged material.
• Titles associated with censorship.

Acceptance Guidelines:

• When the staff accepts a gift, it becomes the property of AU Library. Only staff in Collection Development and Acquisitions can approve a gift for acceptance.
• AU Library reserves the right to determine whether the gift will be retained, where it will be located and how it will be cataloged and circulated.
• The University Libraries welcomes book donations and other formats that enhance the Library ability to support the teaching and research missions of the University.
• Gifts are accepted with the understanding and agreement that the University Library make all necessary decisions as to retention, use, and discard or donate again.
• A list that includes title, author and date of publication must be prepared by the donor for the Library to check for duplicates already in the collection before any items can be accepted. The list should be emailed to aulibrary@ajman.ac.ae. The only exception is if the donations are already housed in a faculty office or elsewhere inside AU campus where a library liaison can physically examine them prior to possible transfer to the Libraries.
• Materials dropped off at the Libraries without previous communication with Collections Development and Acquisitions Team or Unit will not be added to the collections.

Appraisal and acknowledgement:

Staff of the University Libraries cannot provide appraisal of value for books or other materials. Written acknowledgement will be provided on request.

Delivery and pickup:

Pickup is not offered beyond the AU campus. Campus pickup may be available but must be negotiated.

Any items not added to Library collections or subsequently withdrawn from collections will be either donated to other institutions in need for them or disposed of through sustainable routes.