Sponsorships Policy

Sponsorships

Created May 2019

The Board of Trustees of Boyd County Public Library believes that public libraries play an essential role in the quality of life of the community which they serve. In this important function, libraries should be supported through public and private funding. Accordingly, the Library seeks and welcomes gifts, grants, and/or support in the form of sponsorship from individuals, foundations, businesses, and other organizations in order to maintain and expand its collections and services and to make its collections and services easily accessible and available to all patrons who seek to use them.

Acceptance of Solicitation of Gifts Grants, and/or Support

• All gifts, grants, and/or support must further the Library’s mission, goals, objectives, and priorities. No gift, grant, or support will be accepted if the donor or sponsor seeks to limit, restrict, or impose any restraint on access to the Library, or the collections, or services.
• All gifts, grants, and/or support must not compromise equity of access to the Library’s collections or services. Gifts, grants, and/or support agreements must not give unfair advantage or disadvantage to, or cause discrimination against, any person, patron of the Library, group, or any sector of the community.
• All gifts, grants, and/or support must protect the principle of intellectual freedom, which is foundational to the Library. No donor or sponsor may restrict the Library’s maintenance of its existing collections or the selection of books and other materials that will be added to or removed from the Library’s collection. The Library may accept gifts, grants, and/or support offered with the desire and intent to establish a collection of books and other materials on a specific topic or topics subject to all of the guidelines expressed herein. The donor or sponsor may define reasonable guidelines for the selection of books and other materials to be included in the sponsored collection in consultation with the Director, who retains the right of refusal of any such guidelines. No donor or sponsor may require endorsement of any products or services in exchange for the gift, grant, and/or support.
• All gifts, grants, and/or support must ensure the confidentiality of the Library’s patrons. The Library will not sell, donate, or provide access by any means to patron records in exchange for gifts, grants, and/or support without express, written authorization of the Director.
• All gifts, grants, and/or support must leave open, and cannot restrict, the opportunity for other actual or potential donors, known or unknown, to have similar opportunities to provide support to the Library or to make a gift or donation of money, goods or services. Gifts of books or other material, on any form of media, will be accepted in accordance with the terms outlined in the Library’s Collection Development Policy.
• The Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Director and other interested parties, retain the authority to accept or reject any gift, grant, and/or support.

Recognition and Acknowledgement

The Library will ensure that each sponsor receives acknowledgement, and, as agreed upon with the donor, public recognition. The following guidelines will be used in providing acknowledgement to and recognition of sponsors:

• A letter of acknowledgement for gifts of money and in-kind support will be sent to all sponsors. Any special recognition agreements will be stipulated in the letter.
• Public acknowledgement of sponsorship in the Library’s promotional materials will normally be restricted to a statement of the sponsor's name and a display of logo. Such acknowledgement will not take precedence or have prominence over the Library's own logo or promotional material.
• For gifts and/or sponsorships valued at over $500, the Library may submit a press release to local newspapers and/or publish an article regarding the sponsorship in its social media at its discretion and with the agreement of donor.
• Acknowledgement of sponsorship may also take the following forms at the Library’s discretion:
  • Launch of a special program or media campaign to announce the gift;
  • Include sponsor's name on promotional materials;
  • Small standardized plaques may be placed on donated furniture or equipment;
  • Library bookplates may be placed on donated items.

In all cases, the type and scope of donor recognition required by the donor will be weighed against the benefit to the Library.

Approval

Subject to the guidelines outlined above, all gifts, grants, and/or support given with special requirements must be approved by the Director. At the Director’s discretion, the Board of Trustees may be consulted or advised prior to the acceptance of such gift, grant, and/or support. Any solicitation of gifts, grants, or in-kind support by the Library’s staff must receive prior approval of the Director.

Authority for Implementation

The Library reserves the right to make decisions regarding the implementation of each gift, grant, or offer of in-kind support without setting precedent in any future decisions and without regard to past decisions. Subject to the guidelines of this policy and any acceptable guidelines requested by a donor or sponsor, the Library’s management will make all decisions regarding the purchase of books and other materials, equipment, furnishings, and other necessary components required to accept a gift, grant, and/or support. Likewise, subject to the guidelines of this policy and any acceptable guidelines requested by a donor or sponsor, the Library’s management will make all decisions regarding the design of programs and services supported by a gift or grant.

The Library reserves the right not to accept any gift, grant, and/or support for any reason consistent with these guidelines and to end any arrangements at any time if, in the opinion of the Director or the Library Board, acceptance might cause harm to the Library’s services, the Library’s image, or to the preservation of the Library’s good will in the community.