Gifts come in many packages. They could be as simple as a family donating their generations-old Bible or as complicated as the extensive papers and letters of a U.S. president or Supreme Court justice. Mr. Panzera said many unusual items find their way to the Library. He was pleased with the recent gift acquisition of a 1911 commemorative work on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. It had been owned by a man who worked on the railway, and his relatives donated it to the Library.
People just appear at the door.
One man said he was visiting from Colombia, had written a book on the drug trade and offered it as a gift. Overseas offices in six locations around the world also purchase books for the Library's collections. The offices are regional and conduct their purchasing efforts in 66 countries. In addition to serving the Library of Congress, these offices run cooperative acquisitions programs for nearly 100 institutions, primarily academic research libraries, such as Harvard, Yale and the University of Illinois. Representing so many institutions gives the Library leverage in negotiating purchases and prices.