Donations of rare or unique material of enduring historical value are accepted by Special Collections and Archives based on its Mission and Collection Development Policy. Within this framework, potential donations are appraised for the value of their administrative, legal, fiscal, evidential, or historical information.
Collections donations are accepted as gifts by Special Collections and Archives. No departmental funds are available for the purchase of archival collections. Donors are encouraged to provide funds for the acquisition, processing, digitization and other expenses associated with collection development. Collections (excluding institutional records) are owned by the University of Baltimore Foundation and managed by University of Baltimore Library Special Collections and Archives.
All acquisitions require an Accession Form signed by the donor and a department archivist. New collections donated to the Baltimore Studies Archives require a Deed of Gift, signed by the Dean of the Library and the Executive Director of the University of Baltimore Foundation. The elements of the Deed of Gift include the identification of the donor and recipient, specification of a preliminary collection title, definition of the terms of the transfer of ownership, including intellectual and physical property rights, delineation of any access restrictions and explanation of the conditions for the separation of materials from the collection.
Collections on “deposit” are donated to a collecting repository without the transfer of ownership. Under certain circumstances, Special Collections and Archives will accept collections on deposit. However, every effort will be made to convince donors to convert deposit agreements into full deeds of gift as soon as possible.
Special Collections and Archives reserves the right to refuse any potential gift for
a variety of reasons:
• Overly restrictive conditions of use have been requested by the donor
• Spaces and resources are not available to accommodate a large volume collection
• Collection material is not unique and is available in other repositories
• Materials have been damaged by mold, insects, pests or other factors
• Photocopied material for which original material exists
The determination of a gift’s monetary value and the related possibility of a tax
deduction is the sole responsibility of the donor. Special Collections and Archives
staff cannot give tax advice, nor are they permitted to appraise the monetary value
of a collection that is under consideration as a potential donation.