ACQNET v5n001 (January 8, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/serials/stacks/acqnet/acqnet-v5n001 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 1, January 8, 1995 ======================================== (1) FROM: Barbara Nelson & Carol Chittenden SUBJECT: Children's Book Vendors (2 responses) (39 lines) (2) FROM: Carole Bell SUBJECT: Forming a Gifts & Exchanges List (17 lines) (3) FROM: Jey Wann SUBJECT: Response to Charleston Rump Session (47 lines) (4) FROM: Jim Vickery SUBJECT: British Library's Response to Gordon & Breach (29 lines) (5) FROM: Brent Zupp SUBJECT: Summary of Responses to Questionnaire (92 lines) (1)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 10:10:57 -0500 From: Barbara Nelson (Auburn Univ.) Subject: Children's Book Vendors We have been very pleased with the service for children's books by Emery-Pratt, 1966 W. Main St., Owosso MI 48867-1372. 800/248-3887. Ask for Avery Weaver Barbara K. Nelson Acquisitions Dept. Auburn University Libraries Auburn University, AL 36849-5606 205/844-1721; FAX 205/844-1753 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Carol Chittenden (Eight Cousins Children's Books) Subject: Re: Childrens Literature Sources Date: Mon, 26 Dec 1994 11:40:57 -0500 [Ed. note: This was copied to ACQNET, originally a response to Ann Waligorski, RE ACQNET 4:64] A friend and former colleague forwarded your request for sources. Presumably you use Baker & Taylor, but I have heard loud laments about their fill rate, so will also offer our services. We are Eight Cousins Children's Books, 189 Main St., Falmouth, MA 02540. We carry 11-12,000 children's titles, and pursue interesting items outside the mainstream. (It's the former reference librarian in my blood, I guess.) I have sometimes had problems filling orders from academic libraries because they don't order until they get reviews and get them read, so the titles are on their way out of print. We do a newsletter 3x/year, always with some lists, and I'd be glad to send you the last couple so you could see if your needs overlap ours to a useful extent. Drop me a line if this sounds helpful. (2)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 07:58:50 -0500 From: Carole Bell (Northwestern Univ.) Subject: Gifts & Exchange listserv The Gifts & Exchange Discussion Group has had several requests to start up a listserv. I now have someone who has volunteered to be the listowner. My question to the Acqnet subscribers is: Is there sufficient additional interest in a list on this topic? Please contact me personally if you would be interested in a list that discusses Gifts and Exchange issues. Thank you. Carole R. Bell Acting Head. Serials & Acquisitions Northwestern University Library 1935 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60208 (3)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Dec 1994 17:10:11 +0800 (U) From: Jey Wann (Oregon State Library) Subject: RE: Is There a Community of Acquisitions Librarians? I read the initial postings about the Charleston rump session with some interest, and then forgot about them. But the recent postings got me wondering a few of things: 1. Previous postings have asked if there is a community of acquisitions librarians, and if so, why is it so quiet? Could it be that you're asking the wrong question, or asking the right question the wrong way? I don't have an MLS, so technically I'm not a librarian. Acquisitions seems to be an area which, in many small and medium-sized libraries, is run by a paraprofessional. I hope we're considered part of the acquisitions community (if there is one), and I hope that the paraprofessional co-workers of acquisitions librarians are also considered part of such a community. And remember, many of us, both MLS and non-MLS, will never make it to Charleston or Feather River to meet the rest of you face to face. 2. Others have noted that catalogers predominate in some technical services organizations; they certainly do in my state round table. I remember having a feeling of some sort of library science validation when I began doing original cataloging. In my case, I think this was partially due to the fact that the only technical services positions requiring an MLS in my library are in cataloging. But I think that the huge weight of rules and formats, and the cooperation and communication that is necessary to maintain them, makes catalogers into an active community. Acquisitions doesn't have its own equivalent to AACR2. 3. I suspect that many people in small and medium-sized libraries, like me, don't spend all their time on acquisitions. Perhaps that makes us feel a little shy about speaking up, or perhaps we simply have too many other competing job duties to have the time to speak up. If there isn't a community of acquisitions folks, there should be. Perhaps we should all vow to work through our state professional organizations to promote networking among acquisitions people, and see if the community can grow from there. Jey Wann Acquisitions Coordinator Oregon State Library (4)---------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jim Vickery (British Library) Subject: Gordon & Breach Date: Mon, 26 Dec 1994 11:40:38 -0500 The following statement is being posted to several addresses. Please excuse any duplication. ******** Gordon & Breach Science Publishers have recently presented their library customers across the world with large increases in prices for subscriptions to the 1995 issues of Gordon & Breach and Harwood Academic serials, coupled with severe restrictions on usage. The British Library has had to consider a range of factors in deciding whether to continue acquiring this material. After reviewing the options the Library has decided not to renew any of its subscriptions to these titles. We regret that this course of action has been necessary. Jim Vickery Head of Acquisitions, The British Library tel (+44) (0)937 546071 fax (+44) (0)937 546979 [Ed. note: For fuller coverage of this issue, please see recent issues of _SERIALST_ and _Newsletter for Serials Pricing Issues_] (5)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 27 Dec 1994 18:29:30 -0500 From: Brent Zupp (Book News, Inc.) Subject: Summary of responses to questionnaire Thank you for your interesting responses. We asked those in library acquisitions and collection development: 1) A study we conducted with several publishers (details are available on request) seems to show that sales of reviewed books are a remarkable 26% higher than unreviewed books. Does this seem credible to you? Do reviews influence book selection to such a degree? 2) Does anyone make use of publishers' complete catalogs online (or in print)? (We suspect that not many find them useful.) Every respondent thought our numbers were credible; almost everyone seems to depend heavily on reviews. A sampling: "I'm surprised that the figure is only 26% higher..." "I purposely influence [faculty] book selection decisions by sending them book reviews on cards (CHOICE) and photocopies from review journals." "I estimate that over 75% of the books I order are from reviews....I do not have the time or patience to read publishers' catalogs and don't like the uniformly `this book is perfect' blurbs found there." "For this library, as for just about all smaller libraries, reviews are the key to selection decisions." "We much prefer to purchase materials that we know a little from a review rather than take a "pig in a poke" from publishers' blurbs." "Some organizations require two or three "good" reviews before a request for purchase can be made." On the other hand: "We base our purchase on new books announcements from publishers and our jobbers and these come months before any reviews." Complete catalogs seem to be rarely used. Seasonal catalogs are used by some for prices, etc. (and a few use them online); but others find them irritating (at best) because of multiple copies received, the inaccuracy of bibliographic information (e.g. "new editions" that are simply new printings), and over-enthusiastic blurbs that entice faculty to order books without further investigation. A sampling: "Complete catalogs are not useful to us....It is just too time consuming to go through the entire catalog to look for new titles...." "As for online sources, I don't want to have to search a variety of online databases.... "Complete catalogs are rarely used....We do make very good use of `previews' publications...for publishers we respect." "...the best way to improve the quality of collections [would be] to prohibit the distribution of 3rd class mail...[e.g.] publishers' blurbs sent to faculty." "We keep the latest copy...handy for verifying price and publication date." "Consulting a catalog is often easier than calling a publisher where one must negotiate several layers of recorded messages before being placed on hold for ten minutes." Again, thanks for your responses. We stand in amazement at publisher ignorance of the large market segment represented by librarians. Although we think publishers are wasting their money putting complete catalogs online, we have plenty of indications that Book News annotations online would be well used. Right now we're wondering whether to put our data up in rough form as soon as possible, or to wait until our search software is refined. In the meantime, send your snail mail address to see sample copies of SciTech Book News and/or Reference & Research Book News. And we'd treasure responses if you have opinions on this...: Our bibliographic data currently includes Library of Congress classification and LC call numbers. Would it be useful also to include Dewey Decimal class numbers? and/or (if we can get them) OCLC numbers? Thanks, Brent Zupp ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 1 ****** END OF FILE ******