DeGolyer Library collects intensively in a variety of fields and is always interested in adding primary source materials to our holdings. Many of the DeGolyer Library’s rare and unique materials have been received as gifts, and we welcome inquiries from individuals or organizations interested in adding to the library's holdings.
Current interests and collection strengths
- African American history
- American literature (all periods)
- Americana
- Bibliography, history of libraries, history of the book
- British literature (all periods)
- Business history
- Children’s books
- Comic books, dime novels, story papers, pulps
- Cookbooks
- Ephemera
- Geology
- Hispanic American history
- History of science and technology
- Maps and atlases
- Mexico
- Native American history
- Natural history
- Photography (cased images, stereoviews, cabinet cards, cartes de visite, postcards)
- Railroad history
- Sheet music
- Sports history
- Texana
- Trade catalogs
- Transportation, travel, and tourism
- U.S. Presidential history
- Voyages and exploration
- Western Americana
- Women’s history
Items Collected
- Books, pamphlets, broadsides, and other printed materials pertaining to our areas of interest, generally published prior to 1900
- Selected 20th century printed materials related to established collecting strengths
- Manuscript collections in our areas of interest, including personal letters and diaries, family papers, and organizational records
- Maps and atlases through the end of the 19th century; 20th century road maps
- Visual material relating to our subject areas, such as prints, photographs, and ephemera
Donating to DeGolyer Library
After you submit your inquiry about a possible donation, DeGolyer Library staff will forward your message to one of our curators for review. Our curators may ask for additional information about the content, condition or ownership of the materials you are offering to determine whether the materials are appropriate for our collections. If the materials are appropriate for our collections, we will draft a gift agreement transferring ownership of the materials to the DeGolyer Library. Materials normally will not be accepted on deposit or on loan. Disposition of unsolicited materials sent to the DeGolyer Library that are not appropriate for the collections will be at the discretion of library staff in accordance with standard procedures.
You may be entitled to take an income tax charitable deduction for your gift of rare materials. You may need to file an IRS Form 8283 with your tax return and commission a qualified appraisal. We can suggest qualified appraisers who can appraise materials for a fee. You are strongly urged to consult with your personal tax advisor or legal counsel with regard to any tax-related issues.
Copyright for writings and other original creative material (such as photographs or music) belongs to the creator, or his or her heirs, but may be legally transferred.
Items Generally Not Accepted
- Items in poor condition
- Realia
- Photocopies or digital copies of original documents
- Duplicates of materials already held
- Modern hardcover or paperback books unrelated to DeGolyer Library collections
- Collections of newspaper clippings