My grandfather was an accomplished author and wrote around 40-50 books. He passed away almost 20 years ago and left us with his collection. We have been approached by a local library in China to donate the original books. Most of them are out of print, of course. We have also been advised by others to donate it to an East Asian Library in the US, like UCLA or Harvard that has faculty interested in these topics because a modern library will be able to preserve them better and catalog them for future scholars.
Has anyone else donated books to a major academic library? What issues do I need to consider? Do I need to contact a faculty to get an advocate or advisor? These books are obviously extremely valuable to me, but I'd like others to be able to enjoy them too. I'd also like to make sure they will be taken care of after I ship them off.
2006-10-10 11:12:32 · 5 answers · asked by Jentleman 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
What a great question!
I would definitely not donate them to a chinese library as they do not have the resources to care for the books and papers properly.
It is definitely a good suggestion to seek out a US university library to hold these items. Any of the distinguished US schools have collections of rare books and authors papers. They know how to preserve and protect them and have the staff and facilities to take care of them permanently.
If they are related to asian matters, it would be a good idea to connect with the library at one of the schools that has a strong program in Asian studies. I'm sure that some of the California schools would fit the bill, as would Duke, Yale, etc.
This is a gift that will last for centuries.
2006-10-10 11:21:09 · answer #1 · answered by matt 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm assuming that he wrote about Asian topics, given your choices of where to donate it?
Did your grandfather go to college somewhere? Many universities have special places to keep work from people who went there.
Did he have friends in similar lines of work? They may be able to suggest appropriate museums/libraries which would be happy to accept these works.
I agree - you want to make sure you are donating to a place where they will both be useful and taken care of. If you can, you might go look over the place before you donate (but after you talk to someone so you can arrange a tour.)
Do take your time, unless you think it's a problem. You should keep them as long as reasonable so you can make a choice you are comfortable with.
Best of luck!
2006-10-10 11:24:54 · answer #2 · answered by tigglys 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have donated books, but only to a local school and to the public library. While you place sentimental value in your books, the truth is,, once you "donate" them, they can be used to the discretion of others. Research the organization that you are donating the items to, to see if they place as high of a regard to that collection of literature as you do. You can even try a museum if one exists for that particular collection. It appears you don't want to sell them, but if you do and they are valuable, try www.amazon.com. This is tedious and the packing up and research in order to get a substantial bid might be a hassle.
My personal opinion would be to donate them so that they can be appreciated in the country/state/locale that you are in. Good luck!
2006-10-10 11:26:34 · answer #3 · answered by Manatee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i can't imagine why u would even consider giving them to a communist country unless there isn't an american school or library wants them. give them to ucla or harvard and u can b sure that they will b well taken care of.
2006-10-10 11:17:32 · answer #4 · answered by Nora G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-10-19 04:08:16 · answer #5 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋