The London Library Book Donations Procedure

The London Library has historically benefitted from donations of individual books as well as themed collections of works, which have added to the richness and breadth of the collection. However, due to space constraints the Library is unable to accept every item offered for donation. 

Scope of the Collection 

The London Library is primarily an Arts and Humanities Library with strengths in a range of areas including Literature & Fiction, History, Topography, Art, Religion, Biography, and a wide-ranging ‘Science and Miscellaneous’ collection. We hold a range of periodicals and society publications. Material in foreign languages is present throughout our collection. The Library does not generally acquire self-published titles, self-help books, how-to books and textbooks.

Consideration of donations

We welcome the offer of donations to extend the collection, and items that fall within the Acquisitions Policy that will be considered for inclusion are: 

• Books that are in good condition, and which are not duplicates of existing material. We ask members to check the Library Catalogue before offering items to the Library wherever possible. 
• Books in standard hardback bindings are greatly preferable due to the cost of rebinding other formats for inclusion in our collection.
• Items offered by publishers.

Methods of Donation 

1. New publications written by Library members
   The Library is delighted to receive donations of titles members have written and had published to add to the collection, providing these are not self-published items. 
2. Donations of up to 5 books
   Members may leave up to 5 items for speculative donation at the Library Issue Desk. A form will need to be completed stating the number of items and the name of the donor. If you are unable to bring them to the Library, please see point 3 below. 
   Please note that once items have been received by the Library they are considered to be the property of the Library and it is not possible for the Library to return books to members once they have been donated. Books that are not added to the collection will be sold to raise welcome funds towards the Library. Donors will be acknowledged in the Annual Report alongside other supporters of the Library.
3. Offers of donations of up to 20 books
   Please contact donations@londonlibrary.co.uk with details of your possible donations prior to bringing them in or posting them to the Library. If it is possible to do so, please check items against the Library Catalogue to ensure that the Library does not already hold copies. 
   We will then consider the items offered and confirm by email which we would like to accept for the collection. This step helps us manage our space and save any undue posting or carrying of unwanted books.
4. Larger donations (more than 20 books) and legacies. 
   In general it is unlikely that the Library will accept larger donations or bequests of personal libraries in their entirety. This is due to both space constraints and the fact that, where a large donation fits within our collection profile, we are likely to already hold at least a proportion of what is being offered. However, we are always keen to expand our holdings drawing on collections that may have been accrued over a long period of time and which may consolidate our existing holdings or extend these into new areas. Because legacies are by their nature long-term, we ask our legators to consider enhancing their bequest with a pecuniary gift, so that the Library, as a charity, can mitigate the cost of preserving, cataloguing and storing these books. If you would like to make a large donation or bequest in your will, please contact donations@londonlibrary.co.uk to discuss this with us before making any provision to do so. The Acquisitions & Discovery Team will work with you to understand the nature of your collection and advise you as how best to proceed. 

Transportation

The London Library is unable to collect or arrange transport of collections to the Library, except where special arrangement has been made in consideration of large donations and legacies.

Further notes

Whilst items that have been accepted for addition to our collection will be added to stock in due course, it may be a few weeks/months before you see your donated book appearing on the catalogue due to prioritisation given to newly published items. 

Where items are added to the collection, a donation label will be placed in the book to recognise the donation in perpetuity. Donors' names will also be included in the Annual Report. 

We ask all members to check the Library Catalogue wherever possible before donating items to avoid the donation of duplicate items. Where we do receive duplicates these will usually be sent on for resale to raise funds towards the Library. 

Fay Harris/Matthew Brooke 
January 2025