Last Copy Program

Limited space and the maintenance of aging library collections are urgent concerns of many CARLI libraries. Over the years, many academic libraries have accumulated print materials that are no longer relevant to their curriculum or to the research interests of their respective communities, and yet libraries are reluctant to de-accession these materials. 

The CARLI Last Copy Program seeks to preserve the last copy of monographs within the Illinois academic and research library community. This project allows any CARLI library that seeks to withdraw a "last copy" monograph to donate it to another CARLI library that will retain the title for resource sharing in Illinois. 

Currently, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) serves as the initial recipient of the monographs submitted to the Last Copy Program. Materials that the UIUC does not want or cannot house are offered to other interested Illinois research libraries. Items that are not accepted by a library participating in this project remain with the original owning library to keep or discard the items at their discretion. Complete a simple web form to initiate the process.

Libraries interested in offering materials for preservation through the Last Copy Program will complete a simple web form to initiate the process.

Eligible Materials

Each item offered for donation must meet the following criteria:

• Must be the last copy in Illinois, as confirmed through I-Share and through WorldCat
• Must be bibliographically complete, with no missing volumes
• Must be cataloged at least at the core (M) level
• Must be completely free of mold, mildew, and insects
• Materials may not include theses or dissertations filmed by ProQuest, photocopied materials, retail catalogs, VHS tapes, cassettes, LPs, microcard, microfilm, microfiche, travel guides, or government documents. Libraries interested in donating Illinois state government documents should contact the Illinois State Library.

Offering Materials for Donation

For each item that meets all the eligibility requirements noted above, libraries should complete the Last Copy web form. Libraries will need to provide the following information:

• Donor library
• Contact name
• Contact email
• Item title, author and ISBN
• I-Share control number (if available)
• Number of copies in Illinois, as confirmed through I-Share and through WorldCat
• OCLC number (if available)
• Total number of copies in OCLC WorldCat

If you have over 50 items to submit to the Last Copy Program, please send an email to UIUC Library Staff. You may be able to create a spreadsheet of items rather than complete the online form.

Upon submission of the web form

Staff at the University of Illinois and CARLI will be notified via email when a library has offered to donate a last copy. The contact person designated on the Last Copy web form will receive an email confirmation with an attached book slip for the item. Please save this email. The UIUC staff will review the information submitted and determine whether they are able to accept the material.

If UIUC is willing to accept the materials, the donor library will be notified via email and may proceed with shipping. Materials that the UIUC does not want or cannot house will be offered to other interested Illinois research libraries. The donor library will be notified of the next steps in the process.

Upon acceptance by UIUC

The donor library will complete the following steps:

• Place a copy of the book slip with the material.
• Withdraw record / holdings from donor's local catalog and OCLC.
• Ship the materials to UIUC via ILDS (UIU) or via other shipping methods at the donor’s own expense, using the following address:

Last Copy
7A Main Library
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1408 W. Gregory Dr.
Urbana, IL    61801

Upon shipment to UIUC

All donated material becomes the property of UIUC upon shipment to them. If a donated item is verified as a duplicate upon physical examination, UIUC will decide if the donated item will be added to its collection. Unless the donated item meets criteria for addition to the Rare Book Library, UIUC will add item to circulating collections with a note in the record indicating that they are part of the “CARLI Last Copy Program.” Items will be available for borrowing. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may also choose to keep the materials in long-term storage, add the materials to the regular collection, digitize the materials, etc.

If you have questions about the project, support@carli.illinois.edu.