How to Support Your Library

Financial Gifts

You may choose to designate your gift to a particular book fund, the Library of the Future Fund, a particular library or subject area. Use the secure online form below, or if you prefer, send a cheque to Library Development, Mills Library, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S4L6. (Please make cheque payable to McMaster University and indicate your designation on the MEMO line.)

Gift Opportunities for Collections

Hardy Boys Books $ 1500-50,000 USD

The Library has acquired the papers of Brian McFarlane, who was the first writer of the Hardy Boys series of books. To complement his papers, the Library would like to acquire first editions of all the books in this series penned by him. A gift of $50,000 US would allow us to purchase first editions of all the books missing from our collection. Individual titles can be purchased at a cost of $1500 to $4000 US. per title.

We would also like to purchase vols. 1-4 of The Dana Girls series by Brian McFarlane written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

For more information on these gift opportunities, please contact Carl Spadoni, Director, William Ready Division of Archives & Research Collections

Backfile collections of journals: $ 20,000 +

To meet the growing needs of students for both group and individual study spaces, the Library would like to replace print issues with electronic backfiles whenever possible. This would allow us to create more spaces for students and would give 24/7 access to these journals through the Library's website. These backfiles are a one-time purchase that will greatly enhance McMaster's collection of electronic journals. A gift to purchase electronic backfiles of science and engineering journals, in particular, would have a tremendous impact on our ability to redesign Thode Library.

Book Funds $ 5,000-25,000

This gift will fund the purchase of books in any academic discipline. We particularly need books to support new programs offered by the University, for which there is currently little or no funding identified. Some of these programs are Communications, Health & Aging, Indigenous Studies.

For information on gifts designated for electronic journals or books, please contact Anne Pottier, Associate University Librarian, Collections and Facilities.

Cartographic Materials

Peter van der Krogt, Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici. (HES & DeGraaf Publishers BV)10 vol. set; approximately $7,000 USD.

Raised Relief Land/Ocean Globe with wheels stand (Geo-Institut): $2,095 USD
26" diameter globe with raised relief physical features. 1:20,000,000.

For more information on these gift opportunities, please contact Cathy Moulder, Library Director, Maps, Data and GIS, University Library

Gifts of Books or Archives

Gifts of scholarly books and archives from donors have contributed significantly to McMaster's reputation as a research library. We welcome any inquiries regarding potential donations which support the teaching, learning and research activities of the University.

Please keep in mind that it may take several weeks to process your donation. We cannot guarantee that donations received after September will be processed in time to receive a tax receipt for that calendar year.

How to Make Your Donation

Search the Library Catalogue to see if any of the items you wish to donate are already owned by the Library or provide a list to us including author, title, publisher, date of publication
Contact the Collections Division to discuss whether McMaster University Library is the appropriate repository for your gift. If McMaster cannot accept your gift, we can describe other options to you. We can also explain Library policies regarding gifts and answer any questions you might have. The individuals listed below will be happy to discuss your potential gift with you:
- Wade Wyckoff, Associate University Librarian, Collections
- Anne Plessl, Library Development Officer
All offers of gifts will receive careful consideration by the Library. However, materials which we cannot accept are:
- books published before 2000, unless they have particular research value
- books that duplicate items already in the Library's collection
- materials in poor condition, except for rare or valuable items
- textbooks
- newspapers
- photocopies
- popular paperbacks
- single issues of journals, unless they fill a gap within the Library's collection
- vinyl LP records

If it is decided to add your gift to the Library's collection, we will arrange for the transfer of your donation to the Library.
If a proposed gift is not suitable to add to the Library's collection, it may be possible to sell the donated books and process the funds as a cash donation to the Library. We hope that you will consider this as another giving option that would enable us to purchase new and much-needed library materials.

How We Process Your Gift

When your gift is received, an appraisal will be done to determine the fair market value of your gift. (Fair market value is generally defined as the price the property would bring in an open market transaction.) Gifts valued at more than $1,000.00 must be appraised by one or more independent appraisers who are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Canada, but gifts valued at less than$1,000.00 can be appraised by Library staff.
Your gift will be acknowledged and a Deed of Gift will be sent to you. The Deed of Gift legally transfers your property to McMaster University Library.
After you have returned the signed and dated Deed of Gift, the documents are sent to the University's officers for execution. The University's Advancement Office will then issue a charitable donation tax receipt to you for the value of your gift.

Cultural Property Gifts

[more info coming soon]

McMaster University has been issued a Charitable Registration Number by Revenue Canada which permits the University to act as a not-for-profit charitable organization. The ability to receive gifts and issue receipts is governed by Revenue Canada, Federal and Provincial statutes, and University policy. A gift, for purposes of the Income Tax Act, is a voluntary "transfer of property" for which the donor expects and receives nothing of value in return.McMaster Charitable Giving Policy and Procedural Guidelines.

Honour a Special Occasion or a Special Individual with a Gift of a Book to the Library

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Give the gift of a book to McMaster University Library to honour a special occasion or the memory of a family member, friend or colleague. Your donation of $150 will fund the purchase of a new book on a topic in the academic discipline of your choosing. The honouree will receive a beautiful commemorative bookplate in a presentation folder, and a bookplate will also be placed inside the purchased book.

These books will be used by current and future generations of students and faculty at McMaster in their learning, teaching or research. Your gift to the Honour With Books programme can recognize a graduation, birthday, anniversary, retirement or memory of someone special; it will also contribute directly to the quality of scholarship and research at McMaster by supporting the continued excellence of its library.

For more information, please contact Anne Plessl, Library Development Officer. An income tax receipt will be issued by University Advancement.

Book

Bequests or Estate Planning

More information is available here.

Amazon Associates Program

Use these links when you visit Amazon.ca or Amazon.com

As participants in the Amazon Associates program, the Library receives a percentage of each sale made through these links. All earnings from Amazon Associates are used to purchase new materials for the Library's collection.

Add these links to your bookmarks and use them whenever you shop Amazon. You'll be getting your favourite books and supporting your Library at the same time!

For tax benefits of making a gift to the Library, see Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Gifts and Income Tax.

Primary links