HIT: Memorial Books

[Anne Harris <a_harris@NORTHNET.ORG>]

Here are the responses I received for the request for information on what to
do about donated books in memory of someone.  Thank you everyone.


I use Publisher and create my own bookplates. I will attach the ones I have
for you. UI also use them for books we get from the bookfair, from boxtop
funds, any organization, and private donations from families.

I use bookplates from the Library Store.  I use donated by ....and in Memory
of.  I also send a note to the family telling them that a book was donated
in memory and a thank you note to the donor.

We send a thank you to the donator.  Additionally, we
send a letter to the family to notify them that the
book was donated in their family member's name.

I do not purchase book plates.  Rather, I have nice
paper from Staples (what would be called "resume
paper) and I print up book plates on the computer.
Then we glue it into the book.
i HAVE DONATED MANY BOOKS AND THIS IS WHAT I DO AND THIS IS WHAT I HAVE
RECEIVED
SENT A HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE TO THE GIVER
SEND A TYPEWRITTEN NOTE TO THE PERSON CLOSEST TO THE PERSON WHO THE BOOK
IS DONATED FOR>
ON SCHOOL LETTERHEAD AND THANK THEM FOR THE BOOK AND TELL THEM THAT THE
BOOK WILL BE USED AND ENJOYED BY YOUR STUDENTS>FOR MANY YEARS TO COME_
EXTEND SYMPATHY IF THERE IS A DEATH IN THE SITUATION
ALWAYS HAVE HIGH QUALITY STATIONARY ON HAND FOR THANK YOU NOTES AND GET
THEM OUT QUICKLY

WHEN NORMA KLEIN DIED HER MOTHER SENT NOTE TO THE SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
THAT SHE WOULD SEND A SET OF HER BOOKS TO 25 LIBRARIES WHO SENT A SINGLE
PAGE LETTER TELLING WHY THEY WANTED THEM>
fIRST IN THE LETTER I OFFERED SYMPATHY TO HER MOTHER AND TOLD HER THAT
SHE SHOULD BE PROUD OF HER DAUGHTER WHO LEFT A WONDERFUL LEGACY OF BOOKS
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE>  THEN I GOT DOWN TO WHY I WOULD USE THEM>  I SIGNED IT
SINCERELY YOURS AND I MEANT IT > AFTER ALL THE WOMAN LOST HER DAUGHTER
AT A YOUNG AGE AND NEEDED SYMPATHY LIKE ANYONE ELSE
OUT OF !@% REQUESTS I GOT A SET>
We do memorial books more than I would like.  We have had several
students die through out the years and family members of our faculty.  We
always put in book plates.  I have used Demco and Barnes & Noble. Our local
independent book store also carries some nice choices.  We do send a letter
to the family letting them know what we purchased and who donated the
memorial.  (We don't include the amount.)  We also send a letter of thanks
to
the person making the donation that includes the amount (I guess it would
still be tax deductible..but I won't go there)
     We have one parent who shows up every year near the anniversary of his
sons death to give us a check for memorial books.  It is always bitter
sweet.
     Our faculty joins together in the "sunshine club," whenever someone is
in the hospital or a death in the family we send something or provide a meal
or whatever may be needed.  In the instance of a death in the family the
faculty always donates a memorial book to the library.
     We receive quite a few books in honor of different people.  I bought
some
bookplates from Demco; they have (or had at the time) some that were
specifically 'in memory of' as well as other designs.  They might send you
a sample if you contact them.

I usually send a formal thank you letter on school letterhead to the donor,
and to the honoree's family.  (Thank heaven for templates!)  Also, copies of
this letter go to the School Supervisor and the Academic Principal.

I follow the same procedure when we receive money for book purchases from
community members and use a bookplate in each book so the students are aware
of the donor's generosity.

I put a plate in the book.  I get these from various sources, used to get
them at nearby Little Professor book store before it closed.  I put a cute
shaped note listing title, call number and "memoree" on a wall under
"Memorial Books & Gifts" banner.  I write a thank you note to the donor, and
a note to the family of the person being honored.  I am a notecard nut,
always buying neat ones when I see them, so I use what I have on hand.


I purchased "sticker paper" from Walmart and used Print Shop to create my
own donation bookplates.  They are easy, inexpensive and can be customized
to fit a special occasion easily.

My Library Aide made a lable in Printshop that says "Donated by --- in
memory of ____.  I send a thank you to the giver and a note to the family.
I use nice notecards bought with copy machine money.

We get quite a few memorial books for our high school library.  We have
created an attractive "book plate" on the computer that is just printed out
and glued in the book.  It is saved in the computer and each time we need
one, we just go in and type the names in the form.  Very easy.  We use
professionally printed cards to send both to the giver (expressing
appreciation for the book) and the family of the memorialized.   Hope this
helps.
                                  I am a public librarian and one of my
tasks is to answer/accept the gifts and donations from the taxpayers.  We
have a form we fill out when we take a gift.  We ask if it is a Memorial (to
a person who has died) or "In Honor of" (other).  We type up the appropriate
book plate and then send a small thank you note to the person donating,
mentioning the name of the book and author (or mentioning the monetary gift
and what it was spent for) and another small  you to the person for whom the
book is in Honor of, informing them of the gift. We file the form in a
scrapbook in the library so that people can see the generosity of others
 and maybe consider donating to the public library themselves.)

Anne Harris, LMS
General Brown Elementary Schools
Brownville, NY
a_harris@northnet.org

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