Donating Books and Other Materials

The Yale University Library welcomes gifts of books and other cultural heritage materials that extend and complement existing collections. Gifts of books and other cultural heritage materials have helped strengthen our collections through the years. Since its inception, some of the Library’s most important collections began with donations from individuals. Yale University is said to have been founded with a gift of books.  

Due to the high cost of processing and storage, however, the Library is not able to accept all in-kind gift offers. Our intention in accepting gifts is that they be added to our collections.  Therefore, we make every effort to accept only items appropriate for addition.  

If you are considering a gift of materials to the Library, please refer to our policy, Donating Books and Other Materials. Donors wishing to give rare or unique material to the Library are encouraged to contact the appropriate Yale special collection directly.  If you would like to discuss the possibility of a gift or have a question, please contact Julie Linden, Director of Collection Development, (203) 432-3307 or julie.linden@yale.edu.  We regret that we are not able to accept drop offs of large amounts of gift materials unless prior arrangements have been made.