Jefferson-Madison Regional Library has seen dramatic growth in collection, facilities, and demand for services. Nine branches, including a bookmobile, serve a combined population of 210,000 in the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Greene, Louisa and Nelson. This is the largest geographic area covered by any Virginia library. There are many ways citizens of our community can help the library.
Ways to Give
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Buy A Book
You can give funds to purchase a book for the library as a memorial, in honor of a special occasion, or as a donation from your organization. For each $25 donated, you may designate the name to be placed on a special bookplate in a new book. The book will become part of the library's collection to be shared with other readers. You can pay online or print out and return the Buy A Book form.
You can also buy a book of the Wish List. JMRL maintains a list of needed materials on Amazon, though you are welcome to purchase these titles through any retailer — many local bookstores will help you use this list to purchase from them. Instructions
If you choose to order through Amazon, be sure to check the box "This will be a gift" so that JMRL will be notified of your donation. If you would like acknowledgement of receipt, or would like a special book plate placed in your gift, you must include contact information in the "gift message" field. Amazon will ship your donation directly to the library.
If you choose to purchase through another retailer, please clearly indicate to library staff that the gift is a donation from the wish list. You may bring the item to your local branch, or send your purchase to Collection Development, Central Library, 201 E. Market St, Charlottesville, VA 22902.
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JMRL Endowment Fund
Stable private support is essential to continue development of quality public library service. To encourage private support, the Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library created an Endowment Fund as a separate funding mechanism to address library needs over the long term and support special programs. Endowment distributions do not relieve local governments of their responsibility for basic funding, but provide an ongoing source of additional money for services that reach beyond minimum standards
The Endowment Fund was established as part of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Library requests for funding from the Endowment are recommended by a Library Endowment Advisory Committee and approved by the Trustees of the Community Foundation.
Please consider making a gift to the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund. To make a gift now, receive more information, or discuss your interest in the Endowment Fund, print out and return the donation form or donate online. Contact director@jmrl.org if you are interested in donating to a specific Friends endowment fund or click Branch Funds to donate to a specific branch.
Choose the branch you wish to donate to from the options below.
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Donate Materials
For books that you would like to see added to the library's collection, please call collection development with your donation request: 434.979.7151 ext. 6686. The Friends of the Library also collects used books and sells them at their popular fall and spring book sales. Donations can be dropped off at the Gordon Avenue Library on the basement level. The money generated from these sales helps fund the library's programming. For more information or to find out what other items can be donated contact the Friends of the Library at 434.977.8467 or info@jmrlfriends.org. Guidelines
Acceptance Guidelines
Donations will be reviewed for possible additions to the JMRL collection following JMRL’s collection development guidelines. Donations not added to JMRL’s collection will be sent to the Friends of the Library Book Sale held in the spring and fall of each year. Proceeds from the Friends sale fund all JMRL programming for children, teens, and adults.
JMRL and the Friends do not accept:
- Books with highlighting or underlining
- Damaged, moldy or dirty books
- Encyclopedias (of any age)
- Magazines/Journals
- School/Public library discards
- Audio/Video tapes
- Textbooks
- Items in poor condition
Boxes of donations only:
Please deliver all donations in easy-to-handle cardboard boxes (e.g. small or medium size moving boxes) that close on the top. Make sure that all books fit inside with the lid or flaps closed.
Where/when to donate:
Any JMRL branch may accept donations. Please deliver donations during hours when the library is open; donations left when the library is closed may be discarded. Do not place donations in the Book Return slots.
How many boxes can I donate?
Due to space limitations at libraries and on the JMRL delivery truck, the library may only accept 3 boxes at a time; this may also vary by branch. Contact your local branch for additional information.
If you have more than 3 boxes to donate, JMRL encourages you to deliver your donations directly to the Friends’ office, located at the Gordon Avenue Library: 1500 Gordon Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Note: Donations cannot be accepted right before or during the book sale; see the Friends of JMRL website for additional information about upcoming book sales.
Other Ways to Help
Special Projects
JMRL has more special projects on the horizon. Check back soon for information.