The Special Collections gratefully accepts gifts in a variety of ways. Gifts to the Special Collections are tax-deductible. Your generosity benefits the entire UMBC community as well as visiting researchers and helps the Library execute its mission to fulfill the information needs of a research university with a distinctive undergraduate and graduate experience and to offer the highest quality resources and services for UMBC’s growing and evolving teaching, learning, research, and service environment. You can help the collection reach its full potential by making a gift online, sending a check, and donating materials (in-kind gifts). Thank you for your support!
Donate Online
Donate online to Special Collections by making a one-time or recurring monetary gift.
Please be sure that Library – Special Collections is listed in the “Fund Selection” box.
Send a Check
To donate by check, send a check made out to the “UMBC Foundation” specifying Library Special Collections (or the name of the fund you wish to support) on the “memo” line of the check or in an accompanying note to:
Administrative Offices
Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
For the complete list and descriptions of funds and endowments, see: https://library.umbc.edu/friends/donations.php
Donate Materials (In-Kind Gifts)
UMBC actively collects rare books, photographs, and archival materials that will enhance our holdings. We ask that offers of donation be submitted through the Donation Request Form.
Potential donations will be reviewed by the Curator of Special Collections to assess whether the materials are a good fit for our collections and you will be contacted as soon as possible about the decision. Please review our Collecting Guidelines for more information about the types of materials we collect.
We ask that you do not send materials to UMBC Special Collections unless agreed upon by staff. The library reserves the right to discard unsolicited donations and to decline gift offers prior to donation.
To donate UMBC related materials to the University Archives, please see the Records Management Policy.
Reporting Requirements
In-kind donations to UMBC are tax deductible. Below is some additional information about the requirements should you wish to receive a gift receipt from the University:
By law, the UMBC may not provide appraisals or valuations of gifts to donors or potentials donors. Donors who wish to have an appraisal completed must contact and secure an independent appraiser.
Usually a gift of books or other material (eg: photographs, manuscripts, serials) will qualify as a deduction for income tax purposes. The responsibility for establishing the fair market value of an item lies with the donor. Donors may wish to refer to the IRS Department of the Treasury publication, “Determining the Value of Donated Property“, Publication 561 in the IRS Forms and Publication Series.
A donor seeking to claim a deduction for a gift(s) valued at $500 or more in one calendar year must file an IRS Form 8283. For gifts valued at $5,000 or more, an appraiser must complete the appropriate section of the form. UMBC is unable to provide tax advice.