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Book Donations

The Library is always pleased to consider inquiries regarding the donations of books and other materials appropriate for its collections. While we are grateful for such offers, the Library has limited storage capacity, which necessitates some prioritization. For example, we are more likely to accept donations of Maryland materials for which we do not already have duplicate copies. The following summary provides prospective donors with an overview of our needs and offers some possible alternatives to donation to the Library.

The Library typically will accept the following items, if offered in good condition:

• Maryland state and local government publications (for example, agency reports, municipal codes, and town ordinances)
• Books on Maryland law and history
• Books on general American legal topics
• The following individual volumes of the Maryland Reports: volumes 298, 309, 338, 340, 347, 348, 349, and 350
• The following individual volumes of the Maryland Appellate Reports: volumes 119 and 120
• Maryland Rules prior to 1980

Because it already possesses an adequate number of copies, the Library usually cannot accept donations of the following titles and classes of materials:

• The Maryland Annotated Code
• The Laws of Maryland
• The Maryland Law Encyclopedia
• The Maryland Digest
• Regional reporter sets (including the Atlantic Reporter)
• Primary legal source materials from other states and the Federal government (including state and Federal codes and case law reports)
• Large sets of secondary source materials (for example, legal encyclopedias, attorney directories, case law digests, and the American Law Reports)

If the materials you wish to donate likely will be accepted by the Library, then please contact the Director to finalize plans. Should you wish to donate items, the Library follows these policies:

• The Library regards any donation as an unrestricted gift.
• The Library does not evaluate the value or physical condition of any gift. The assessment of any gift is solely the responsibility of the donor or the donor's personal representative.
• The Library will gratefully provide a letter of acknowledgement of the gift and include a list of the items donated.

The Library understands prospective donors' good intentions in finding suitable institutions to accept their gifts. However, because the widespread availability of online legal sources has decreased the need to retain some types of law books, it is sometimes difficult to locate such a place. Nevertheless, some people still have needs for these resources. Even if it is unlikely that the State Law Library will accept your materials, Library staff will forward your donation information upon request to colleagues at Maryland Circuit Court Law Libraries and non-profit legal services organizations. You may also wish to contact your local county bar association to inquire if any newly established lawyer might wish to acquire your donation. Finally, you might reconsider your plans for donation and review other possible options for disposition.

If you have any questions not answered here or have a donation that meets the criteria above please contact Library staff at lawlibrary@mdcourts.gov or 410-260-1430.

Updated: July 12, 2011