Give to the Library

Financial donations to the Rudolph Matas Library are always appreciated. We rely on donations to help us maintain and enrich the quality of our collection. However, the library is not able to accept collections of books or journals with the possible exception of individual volumes to replace volumes missing from existing journal runs.

The library collects anything relating to the history of the components and personnel of the Health Sciences Center, including:

• manuscripts, letters and diaries
• architechtural records
• music, compact discs, scores and recordings
• videos and films
• photographs
• information and memorabilia on local medical history

For example, the library currently has collections or early diplomas from the School of Medicine and photographs of our physicians in Tulane Medical Unit 24 during World War II, photographs of residents at Charity Hospital in the late 1890s and accounts of local health crises.

There are several issues involved in donating manuscripts, letters and diaries. If you are considering donating such materials, the library encourages you to view the following guides created by the Society of American Archivists:

• The SAA Guide to donating your personal papers
• The SAA Guide to donating your organizational records

What you should not donate:

• severely damaged or heavily underlined books
• current newspapers (except on specialized topics)
• inspirational literature
• old textbooks
• old laboratory manuals
• workbooks and study guides

You may remember an old friend, relative, or an esteemed colleague by donating money for an appropriate book to be purchased in their memory for the library. This saves you the trouble of selecting an item and ensures your donation will not duplicate something already in the library.

How to make a donation:

• First, contact the Office of the Library Director, at 504 988-2060 to discuss your donation and any special circumstances regarding your gift.
• Wrap and mail or bring any photographs, etc. to the library Monday through Friday, 8 am - 5 pm.
• Box books and other items before bringing them to the library.
• Include a list of the contents of any containers (boxes, etc) given to the library.
• For large donations, we can provide limited pickup services in the New Orleans area when given reasonable advance notice.
• Please send financial donations payable to the Rudolph Matas Library. Donations should be mailed to:

  Office of the Director, Medical Library
  Rudolph Matas Library
  1430 Tulane Ave., Box SL86
  New Orleans , LA 70112

Your gifts to the library are tax deductible.

• All gifts to the library are considered charitable donations.
• If you claim a deduction of more than $1,000 for a non-cash gift, you will need an appraisal. The library or its employees cannot provide appraisals under IRS rules.
• Since tax laws change from time to time, we encourage you to seek advice from a knowledgeable tax consultant about current requirements.

You may also make a major gift.

• Major gifts can include bequests made through a will; deferred gifts that provide you or others with a life income and then benefit the library; and outright gifts, such as cash or marketable securities.
• Your gift can also add to or create an endowed fund that keeps the principal intact and uses only the income. The library has several endowed funds to which you can contribute; or, we can establish a new endowed fund for a minimum of $10,000 in your name or the name of someone you wish to memorialize.
• Tulane's Office of Planned Gifts will be happy to discuss such gifts with you. Please contact the Tulane Office of Planned Giving at 3439 Prytania St., Ste 200, New Orleans LA 70115, (504) 865-5751.