HRL welcomes monetary and significant genealogical material donations to its collection with the understanding that such materials become the property of MGS. Therefore, any or all donations may be added to the HRL collections; offered free to other interested repositories or to members; sold; traded; or discarded as deemed appropriate.

All donors must complete a Donation Record form in order to establish the transfer of ownership of donated materials to MGS. Once the Donation Record is signed by the donor, the donated materials become the unrestricted property of MGS.

Except in special circumstances, HRL will refrain from collecting photocopies of material held by other repositories and individuals.

HRL reserves the right to refuse an offered donation; and will not accept material that shows damage from mold, mildew, water, insects, smoke, or dirt, as such material can harm other items in the collection. HRL may also refuse a donation based on the Selection Criteria.

HRL reserves the right to decide how the donated material will be displayed or stored, how the material may be used, and how long the material will be retained. Donated materials may be scanned and placed on the Internet for viewing or otherwise reformatted.

HRL will not, and cannot, conduct any monetary appraisals for donors nor give tax advice. If donors plan to take a tax deduction for their donations, they should consult a tax accountant or attorney. Any monetary appraisals are the responsibility of the donor and should be conducted before transferring materials to HRL