As a former librarian, I was of course interested in the question of
why librarians often look askance at gifts.  Now, as an occasional donor,
I see this attitude from the other side.  I think it is true, at least in
many libraries and in the attitude of many librarians; and it is true in
the case of books as of CDs and other materials.  I suspect the reason is
that acquisition librarians spend most of their time reading reviews so
that they may select the best purchases for their libraries.  Once the
often difficult decisions are made, the prospect of adding something that
didn't make the original cut always seems to throw the process out of sync.
Librarians will also tell you that nothing can be added to the collection
for free; there is a considerable cost involved just in getting it ready
for the shelf.

Dorothy Smith