I have a question: my favorite series is not in your collection. Is there a way for me to donate it in the hopes that someone else will read it? (I just want people to give it a chance so badly!) I already have the books (both ebook and physical copies), so it seems weird to request them when I have zero reason to check them out myself. And I know you accept donations, but I think those are generally for selling and not for the collection…although I could be wrong about that. Thanks for any information you can provide.
A very good question! The answer is: it depends on the series. If it's an older series - older than 2020, say - submitting a purchase request will probably just get you an Interlibrary Loan copy, which wouldn't help in your situation (though it always depends, there are always exceptions, etc etc.) Newer than that, though, and I'd say there's nothing wrong with submitting a purchase request even if you own the book! Just be aware that there's always a chance it'll be ILL'd instead. If it was me, I'd hedge my bets and start there - ILL costs you nothing. If your book does end up ILL'd, you can simply return it and, if you wish, proceed with the donation option. Now, you are correct that, for the most part, donated books are used in our book sale except in special cases (like if the author is local, or if we desperately need more copies because the holds list is out of control). However, since you asked, if you wanted to donate the series I would suggest bringing it in in person and telling the staff when you hand it over that you would like it to go to Technical Services to be considered for the collection. If you have to, say you talked to someone from the library on social media and they said we'd take a look (I'll back you up on that!) Now, that's not a guarantee anything you donate will be added to the collection. I certainly don't want you to waste your money purchasing the series again thinking this is a sure thing. We do have to run everything through our collection development criteria, which means inspecting the quality of the item, examining professional reviews, and considering the reputation of the publisher, among other things. The items may end up in the book sale anyway. I wish I had better news for you. But feel free to let us know what the series is and why you love it - we always answer asks publicly and maybe someone will see it and pick it up! Maybe you'll kickstart the fandom!
Alternatively, everyone put in the replies your fav underloved series so that anon here doesn't have to expose themselves if they don't want :) Good luck!!
