Gifts to School Library Media Centers in Iowa

This study examines the donation and solicitation of gifts to school library media centers in Iowa. A questionnaire was used to collect data concerning numbers and types of donations, their sources, their disposal, reasons for their exclusion from collections, their perceived benefits, and whether a statement concerning gifts was included in the selection policy of the school library media center. Numbers of donations were found to be small. Fewer than five gifts per year were received by 66.l percent of the respondents. Gifts were usually materials donated by those closest to the daily operation of the school, particularly students, staff, and parents. Most of the gifts of materials (81.21 percent) were added to the collection. About two-thirds of the fifty-nine respondents indicated that they had used methods of soliciting gifts. Respondents indicated that gifts supplemented the budget, stimulated interest in the program, and provided useful materials. More than half of the selection policies included a statement concerning gifts, acknowledging potential public relations problems involving gifts although no such public relations problems were mentioned by the respondents