The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library welcomes both in-kind gifts and monetary donations. Each gift, great or small, enriches our collections and enhances our research and teaching mission. In addition to enriching our holdings our donors have generously endowed four annual lectures, open to members of the Friends of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. To enquire about monetary donations or other types of bequests please contact Mimosa Kabir, Interim Director of Advancement.
Gifts-in-Kind
The book collections of the University of Toronto, including the nucleus of what would later become the rare book collection, date from the fire of 1890, which destroyed the library and virtually every one of its books. A campaign to replace the library was mounted with such success that by 1900 the collections were not only bigger, but also better than they had been before the fire. Many generous individuals and institutions made in-kind donations at that time, including such outstanding acquisitions as Piranesi's Opera varie of 1750. A steady flow of gifts-in-kind has greatly enhanced the Fisher's holdings ever since. Some of these donations have been acknowledged in a series of exhibitions: Gifts from our Friends (1990), A Pride of Gifts (1995) and In Honour of our Friends (1999). Others are noted in the annual spring issue of the newsletter of the Friends of Fisher, the Halcyon.
Those wishing to make a gift-in-kind donation to the Fisher Library should consult with Fisher staff before submitting any material. In general the Library only accepts donations that fall within the scope of the Library's collecting mandate and do not duplicate material already held. Upon acceptance, and if requested to do so, the Library will have the gift evaluated by an independent appraiser and will arrange to have receipts issued for income tax purposes.
For additional general information on Gift-in-kind donations please consult the University of Toronto Gift Planning website.