Our collection has been built primarily through donations from generous cartoonists, collectors, and fans. If you are interested in making a donation, please contact us at cartoons@osu.edu or 614-292-0538.  

*Tax benefits: Gifts to The Ohio State University are considered charitable contributions. Please consult your tax advisor for advice on charitable deductions. Information is also available from the Internal Revenue Service.

 

What We Collect

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum collects materials related to printed cartoon art including the following genres:

• Comic books
• Comic strips
• Editorial cartoons
• Graphic novels
• Magazine cartoons
• Sports cartoons

Although we collect some animation materials, this is not our primary focus.

 Types of Materials We Collect

• Books about cartooning and cartoonists
• Books containing cartoons or cartoon illustrations
• Periodicals containing, about or related to printed cartoons
• Original art
• Manuscript collections related to cartoonists and the business of cartooning including correspondence, business records, scrapbooks, ephemera, clippings and proof sheets.

Preservation & Access

We are a special collection with particular emphasis on the long-term preservation of all the materials accepted into our collection. Therefore, our materials do not circulate outside the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum except as exhibition loans to other institutions. Access to all of our collections is available for researchers, scholars, students, and members of the public in our supervised reading room. Materials are stored in closed stacks in our climate-controlled facility which is protected by an electronic security system.

Tax Benefits

Gifts to The Ohio State University are considered charitable contributions. The fair market value of donated materials (gifts-in-kind) is tax-deductible in most cases. One exception is that artists are currently prohibited by law from deducting the fair market value when donating their own artwork. Please consult your tax advisor for advice on charitable deductions. Information is also available at Internal Revenue Service.

Appraisals

Curators and librarians of The Ohio State University Libraries cannot provide appraisals for materials offered as gifts-in-kind because the Internal Revenue Service regards the Libraries as an interested party to such contributions. In general, an appraisal is not necessary for gifts-in-kind valued at less than $5,000 by the donor. Additional information on appraisals and qualified appraisers is included in Internal Revenue Service Form 8283 which must be filed by persons claiming the donation of a gift-in-kind valued at more than $500. A list of appraisers is available at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum's Appraisals section.

 

Copyright

Assignment of copyright is often very complex in the case of cartoon art. The copyright may be owned by the creator, his or her heirs, the syndicate, the publisher or another party. The original copyright owner maintains the copyright of all donated materials, unless copyright ownership is expressly transferred to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum may own the physical object (letter, original cartoon, etc.) but not the copyright.

Transfer of Ownership

If all parties agree that the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is the appropriate repository for your gift-in-kind, then our staff will work with you to arrange the physical transfer of the material. An instrument of donation outlining the terms and conditions of the donation will be sent to you for your approval and signature, along with a letter acknowledging your gift.

Resources

Information about donating to libraries and special collections is available at the Society of American Archivists website. See A Guide to Donating Your Personal or Family Papers to a Repository and A Guide to Donating Your Organizational Records to a Repository

Making a Gift of Funds

The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum welcomes financial contributions which are used to support our mission to develop a comprehensive research collection documenting American printed cartoon art, to organize the materials, and to provide access to these resources. We rely on the generous donations of our supporters:

• To help us acquire, catalog and preserve cartoon-related materials including books, periodicals, original art and manuscript collections
• To support our educational programming including exhibitions, presentations, workshops, online resources for teachers and researchers, and our Festival of Cartoon of Art, which takes place every three years
• To assist us in making our collection accessible to researchers and scholars around the world

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is a non-profit, educational institution and financial donations are tax-deductible. Checks can be written to The Ohio State University and sent to: The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, 27 West 17th Ave. Mall, Columbus, OH 43210-1393. To give online with a credit card, please go to the Ohio State University's Make a Gift Online. For more information about other ways to give, visit the Ohio State University's Ways to Give section. For information about the Friends of the Libraries at the Ohio State University, please visit Friends of the Libraries. If you have questions about giving to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, please email cartoons@osu.edu.

Volunteering

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is grateful to those volunteers who share their time and talents. Volunteer jobs include processing collections, data entry, organizing and filing clippings, and special projects.

Festival of Cartoon Art Hospitality Committee

The Festival of Cartoon Art takes place every three years. The next Festival will be in 2010.

Internships/Practicums

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum offers unpaid internships and practicums to students in masters programs including Information and Library Science, Museum Studies, and Archival Management. Internships are generally project based. Past projects have included:

• Creating a digital album
• Researching 18th and 19th-century cartoon art and entering the information into our database
• Co-curating an exhibition

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact the Library at 614.292.0538 or cartoons@osu.edu.