ACQNET v5n002 (January 10, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/serials/stacks/acqnet/acqnet-v5n002 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 2, January 10, 1995 ======================================== (1) FROM: Janet Flowers/John Rutledge & Carole Bell SUBJECT: French Vendors (2 inqueries) (45 lines) (2) FROM: Patricia Fairfield (and others) SUBJECT: Acquisitions Training: Responses (122 lines) (3) FROM: Helen Mack SUBJECT: Acquiring CD-Roms (19 lines) (1)-------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 10:36:32 -0500 (EST) From: Janet Flowers (UNC-Chapel Hill) Subject: French vendors A query From: John Rutledge (University of NC at Chapel Hill): We are confused about the relationship between LSA (Library Service Association) and Guy Boussac. Both are located at 46, rue de Babylone (Paris). Both seem to want our business and both offer vendor notification forms. Elucidations, please! I formerly used the monthly _Livres du Mois_ as the principal selection tool, but the difficulty of processing it forced me to switch to vendor forms (which, I believe, are less inclusive than LdM). We are having difficulty in getting the vendor forms on a regular basis, however. Does anyone have experience with the vendor forms from *either* agency? I would also be interested in comments on the performance of various French vendors. * John B. Rutledge * Bibliographer, West European Resources * Davis Library CB# 3198 * University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill * North Carolina 27514-8890 * jbr@email.unc.edu +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 05 Jan 1995 12:42:47 -0500 From: Carole Bell (Northwestern Univ.) Subject: French approval plans We would like to begin an approval plan for French literature. We have contacted both Touzot and Aux Amatuers. Both vendors seem to offer the same services. Has anyone used either of these vendors for approval plans? Any preferences? Please e-mail me personally with your recommendations. Thank you. Carole R. Bell Acting Head. Serials & Acq. Northwestern Univ. Library 1935 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60208 (2)---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 13:45:53 -0500 From: Patricia Fairfield (Essex County College Library) Subject: Acquisitions training : Responses Last month I posted a question to ACQNET and asked how other Acquisitions Librarians received their training. I received several helpful responses and I thought that other new Acquisitions Librarians might be interested. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 19 Dec 94 15:09 CST From: Carol Klink Pat, I have been an Acquisitions Librarian since 1976, and always wanted to be in Acquisition and not Cataloging. I attended Western Michigan University (Library school now closed). We had an under- graduate course in library processing and a graduate course in library selection aids, but that's about it for formal training in Library School. I spent some years (8) working as an Acquisitions Clerk, unautomated, of course. I also had a good mentor in my first position. I think that's how most AL learn the ropes. If you have a genuine interest as I do, then you read all you can and go to any workshops you can. The INTERNET is also very helpful. If you are automated then users groups are the best source of information. But we are alive and well out here and doing our best to "ride them (Order them) rope them (Get them) and brand them (Catalog them)." Carol Klink Head of Technical Services Loyola University Law Library 1 East Pearson St. Chicago, IL 60611 (312)915-7190. (You can pass this along on the Net if you want.) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 8:53:21 -0500 (EST) From: Hi, I have been an acquisitions librarian for 10 years now. I started out as working as a work-study person for 4 years, then got a circulation desk position. This was part-time. Soon I was able to get to be the Periodicals Librarian/ILL person. Two years later I started as the acquisitions librarian. I started doing this job with no experience in acquisitions and no one to train me. The woman who had the job had died suddenly and had been doing her job for 13 years. It was very difficult. We were also starting to use a computer (bibbase) to do the ordering. It was all very overwhelming. It took about 1 year before I felt comfortable in that position. We have now gone to using the DRA acquisitions module. This started in January of this year. I now have a new title which is "Acquisitions Specialist". I like that one better. I work for a state college. There are 3 others in Vermont and the Acquisitions people get together about every 3-4 months. It helps to have others to talk to and bounce ideas off of. I have gone to Boston once for a conference, but money is short and the travel time is long. It makes it difficult to meet other acquisitions librarians. From what I understand most acquisitions librarians just happen to come in because it was an open position just like you and I. I subscribe to _Against the Grain_ and find it very helpful and entertaining. I do wish there were more ways of getting to know the librarians who can't attend Charleston and who are the Acquisitions department all by themselves. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Barbara Nelson (Auburn Univ.) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 1994 09:22:16 CST I am sending this to you directly since ACQNET is going down for a couple of weeks. I really do understand your frustration. I was in a very small library for several years and learned acquisitions by the "seat of the pants" technique. Then I came to Auburn University as Gifts and Exchange Librarian (one thing one becomes good at small private religious colleges is gifts). I really learned the job here. My supervisor who is the head of our Acquisitions Department has been very interested in library education and we have often discussed the lack of training in library schools in the acquisitions process. One of the problems is that I do not really know how they would go about teaching something that is so individual to the institution. Some libraries are not allowed to do their own purchase orders, some are. Some write their own checks, some do not. Some must spend every penny of their money before the end of the fiscal year, some must have it all at least encumbered, some can carry it over. Some libraries have pre-order verification done by the bibliographers, some by the cataloging dept, some by acquisitions. You see what I mean? The only way I have really learned is by talking with other acquisitions people often at conferences. If you are at a small library, you probably do not get much support to attend ALA. I know that most of the Acquisitions people there are from large libraries and you think that what they have to say is not applicable, but you might be surprised what you could pick up. If you are anywhere near Charleston, there is an annual acquisitions conference there. Again, many are from large libraries, but everyone there--librarian and vendor reps--deal with acquisitions. That sort of thing broadens the outlook on this area as a whole and acquisitions people in general are really good about answering questions and helping new librarians. One more immediate suggestion is to contact the acquisitions dept. of a nearby university and ask for an appointment to get acquainted and get a tour. We do that at Auburn a great deal, especially regarding automation. Find other libraries your size in your state and pick their brains. (e-mail is a big help here) Good luck to you. I didn't intend to be in acquisitions when I started either, but I love it and really do not desire to go into any other area. Barbara K. Nelson Acquisitions Dept. Auburn University Libraries Auburn University, AL 36849-5606 205/844-1721;FAX 205/844-1753 (3)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Jan 1995 15:32:32 -0500 From: Helen Mack (Lehigh Univ.) Subject: Acquiring CD-ROMs We are able to acquire many CD-ROMs with no problem: for some, we must go direct; others we can get from EBSCO. I need some help, however, with getting ones which might be construed as popular - the kind of stuff which would probably be on the shelf in some computer store as a one-time purchase (example : The Haldeman Diaries). Are there catalogs out there? Are there vendors who work in this area? I don't think CDs are common enough yet for regular book vendors to handle them the way they've come to handle videos. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Helen P. Mack Acquisitions Dept. Fax (610) 758-5605 Lehigh University Libraries Phone (610) 758-3035 ****************************************************************** ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 2 ****** END OF FILE ******