Can I donate items to NLM's collection?

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is authorized by the U.S. Congress to accept bequests and donations in support of its mission in a variety of formats.

• Books
• Journals
• Archival or historical materials
• Appraisals

• A statement confirming you checked the NLM catalog
• Confirmation that NLM does not own the item(s)

• Author or editor
• Title
• Place of publication
• Date of publication
• Publisher
• Edition

Journals
As the library of record for biomedicine, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) places a high priority on preserving its print collections.  Part of NLM’s preservation program is accepting donations of journals and indexes to ensure its collections are as complete as possible.

NLM welcomes donations of print journal and index volumes that are missing from our collection. If you represent a medical library that is discarding serial collections, NLM encourages you to share your list of discards so we may fill in any gaps. NLM will pay shipping for volumes we need.

For assistance, contact the Journal Donation Program at NLMJournalDonation@mail.nlm.nih.gov.  

For each journal please include:

• Title
• Year span of issues
• ISSN

• Author or creator
• Title(s)
• Format(s)
• Quantity
• Place and date of publication
• Condition
• Physical location

• The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) publishes an annual membership directory. The ABAA Directory includes subject and geographical indices.
• Many book dealers maintain web sites, which can be found through your search engine.
• The American Book Trade Directory may also be helpful for book prices.
• Your Old Books is the late Peter Van Wingen’s useful guide to frequently asked questions about rare books and book values.
• You can also find an appraisal expert from American Society of Appraisers.
• For more suggestions, check the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room.