Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the value of gift materials added to the general collection of a small to medium-sized academic library with materials selected and purchased by the library. The measure employed to determine the relative value of the gifts vs. non-gifts was how often the materials were used within a 12-month period. Two groups of 77 books (gifts and purchased items) were tracked over the course of 1 year to determine if the gifts were used significantly less. Results indicate that donated books were used on average 0.87 times whereas non-gifts were used 1.38 times. A t-test was also applied demonstrating that the two groups were significantly different at the 0.05 level. This provides empirical data libraries can use to re-evaluate existing policies and procedures for handling gifts.

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