The Library of the Center for Hellenic Studies of Harvard University is happy to accept gifts-in-kind, or non-monetary donations, which are compatible with the Library’s areas of collecting. We are particularly interested in rare and antiquarian materials but will also accept modern items as long as they are not already in our Library’s collection. To check our holdings, please search the Harvard Library Catalog, HOLLIS. There you may limit your search to “Library Catalog” and “Ctr Hellenic Studies” to ascertain if we already own the book(s) being considered for donation.
The CHS Library assumes ownership of all donations and reserves the right to add donated materials to its collections or to possibly exchange, sell, or discard them as well as make decisions about their storage, location, processing, access, use, retention, and reformatting/digitization.
The appraisal and documentation of materials for tax purposes is the sole responsibility of the donor. Under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations, a library is not permitted to appraise gifts. For tax purposes the CHS Library is happy to provide a receipt of acknowledgement with an inventory of items donated. The CHS Library cannot assign a dollar value to a book donation.
Donors should refer to the IRS’s Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property for information on gift appraisals accepted by the IRS for tax purposes. The CHS Library does not pay for or reimburse such appraisals, nor does it authenticate the qualifications of appraisers or the validity of their appraisals. While the Library cannot recommend appraisers, these are some organizations through which you may be able to locate appraisers in your geographic areas and subject specializations: American Society of Appraisers, Appraisers Association of America, Inc., International Society of Appraisers.
Please direct any questions about potential book donations to the chief librarian, Rebecka Lindau, at rlindau@fas.harvard.edu or 202-745-4433.