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Donating Books and Manuscripts

The Library of Trinity College Dublin acknowledges that donations from both individuals and organisations have contributed to the development of its collections over more than four hundred years. We welcome enquires from potential donors, however the following should be noted:

  • As per the Library’s policy on Donations of Content & Collections  acceptance of items is subject to an initial review and evaluation
  • No items should be sent to the Library without prior acceptance. Unsolicited donations will not be accepted

Modern Books

Those wishing to donate modern (post-1900) publications should:

  1. Consult the Library Catalogue to confirm we do not already hold copies of the items in our collections. Duplicate items and textbooks will not be accepted
  2. Compile a full detailed inventory of items offered (including title, ISBN and year of publication)
  3. Confirm ownership and right to offer the items for donation
  4. Send the complete list of items being offered to acquisitions@tcd.ie with ‘Donation Offer’ in the subject line
  5. Wait for the Library to confirm acceptance and arrange a date for delivery if items are accepted

Items will be evaluated by Library staff and only accepted if in accordance with the Library's Collection Development Strategy and Preservation Policy. The physical condition of the material is a crucial factor, please provide detail of the items’ condition.

The Library reserves the right to dispose of items accepted as part of a donation.

While effort will be made to process and catalogue donated items no commitment can be given as to when items will be processed.

Donated material will be processed and catalogued to the same standards as other material and listed in the Library Catalogue.

The Library will reserve the right to make decisions on the ultimate location of any accepted donated items.

Early Printed Books

Those wishing to donate early (pre-1900) publications should contact Early Printed Books and Special Collections via epbooks@tcd.ie.

Manuscripts

Those wishing to donate manuscripts should contact Manuscripts & Archives via mscripts@tcd.ie.

The Library welcomes donations of manuscripts relating to all disciplines and dates, as well as archives relating to College life. Manuscripts may be gifted, purchased, or, in exceptional cases, deposited. In every case, a formal written agreement is concluded with the donor.

The staff of Manuscripts & Archives will be happy to discuss terms and conditions relating to any donation: copyright, reproduction, publication, restrictions on access for material of a personal or confidential nature, conservation, use of material for exhibition purposes. The Library is happy to administer copyright on behalf of donors with regard to scholarly publications.

Donating Modern, Readily-Available Books

Those seeking to pass on copies of modern popular works (paperbacks etc.) should note that these are not accepted by the Library. Books are also collected year-round for the Trinity College Dublin Annual Booksale at:

Booksale Office
Goldsmith Hall
Pearse Street
Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 1 8962276
E-mail: booksale@tcd.ie.