ABSTRACT Librarians need clearly worded gift policies to control resources expended on handling gifts in kind and to govern relations between the donor and the library. Gifts policies help libraries solicit beneficial materials while reducing the quantity of unwanted items. They serve two purposes: setting forth the very detailed procedures governing gift acceptance and processing for the library's employees, and presenting the library's gift acceptance philosophy to those whom the library serves. Carefully-worded documents avoid misunderstanding between donor and library and relieve personnel of the difficult task of explaining policies verbally to each potential donor. The author of this article describes his experience developing a policy outline which provides a skeleton for anyone writing a gifts policy.