Donating
Thank you for considering the Heritage Room for donating your materials.
Throughout this history of the Library, the generosity of its beneficent donors has been instrumental in building the Heritage Room's collections and ensuring the vitality and enduring importance of the Library as a whole.
The Heritage Room staff sincerely appreciate your interest in donating your historical materials of enduring research value.
Areas We Collect
Among the many items the Heritage Room will accept for donation are:
- Family histories and surname society publications
- Family records and papers
- Yearbooks from local schools, colleges and universities
- Minute books, docket books, financial ledgers, journals & records from local businesses and organizations
- Historically significant manuscripts, photographs, books or archival material relevant to Athens history, Georgia history or genealogy
Deed of Gift
Each gift of materials the Heritage Room accepts must be accompanied by a Deed of Gift executed by both the donor and the Library before the Library will take possession of the materials. The Deed of Gift form can be found here.
Review Procedures
Proposed gifts of materials to the Heritage Room are carefully evaluated in order to determine their utility to the Heritage Room and its patrons. Particular interest is paid to scholarly, current or rare items in good physical condition with research value for subjects in which the Heritage Room collects. In general, the Heritage Room retains only one copy of desired resources.
The Heritage Room is mindful of the significant resources required and costs incurred in handling, processing and, where appropriate, accessioning, cataloging, storing, conserving, preserving and providing access to contributed materials. For these reasons, the Heritage Room cannot retain all donated gifts of materials, but will make considered selections from the array of materials generously offered by prospective donors.
Transfer of Ownership
Gifts of materials that are accepted by the Heritage Room become the absolute and unconditional property of the Library. The Library will make all decisions as to their retention, location and other considerations relating to their use or disposition. Materials which the Heritage Room determines are not suitable for accessioning into the collections may be exchanged with other libraries, offered for sale, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with the Library's established policies and procedures.
