Acquisitions

Below are the general guidelines for ordering library materials. All orders must be initialed by an academic unit's library representative or liaison librarian.

FORMATS

An academic unit's library allocation may be used to purchase:

• Audio cassettes
• Audio CDs
• Books arriving on standing order
• Books arriving on the approval plan
• Books listed on approval plan forms
• Books ordered by faculty (firm orders)
• CD-ROMs and other optical discs
• Maps
• Microforms
• Music Scores
• Multimedia
• Serial backruns
• Serial single issues
• Software that is informational or instructional
• Video cassettes
• Other printed matter that is informational or instructional

FIRM ORDERS

A firm order is when one is made aware of a publication through a publisher's catalog, a review, an advertisement, or word of mouth, and wishes to order it for the Libraries' collections. Please submit complete information. Include author, title, edition, publisher, place and date of publication. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is extremely helpful as well. Attach a publisher's flier, if available.

Requests from catalogs, particularly out-of-print or special sales catalogs, should be accompanied by the catalog. Indicate on the catalog if you wish it returned. Requests of this nature are given top priority but need to be submitted to us in a timely fashion.

CHOICE CARDS

The Libraries receive Choice: Reviews on Cards which are index cards containing reviews of scholarly materials. Choice cards are distributed to liaison librarians who then forward them to library representatives. Library representatives or liaison librarians should initial the cards and indicate the name of the academic unit.

APPROVAL PLAN

Academic units have been profiled so that the Libraries will automatically receive newly published selected books from our major book vendor, Yankee Book Peddler. The profile identifies subject areas and a number of other factors such as geographical coverage and academic levels of interest to an academic unit. Profiles can be altered at any time by a library representative and/or a liaison librarian.

APPROVAL BOOKS (BOOK PREVIEW)

Shipments of profiled books are received weekly and shelved in the "Approval Receiving Area," room 370, Main Library. Books remain shelved here for a two-week period for review by library representatives and liaison librarians. Books in each shipment are arranged by the academic unit for which they were profiled. Please follow these procedures:

To accept a book:

1. initial the form found inside the book
2. if you accept a book received for some other academic unit, please write your unit's name by your initials
3. return the book to the shelf from which it was removed.

To reject a book:

1. initial the back of the form
2. if you reject a book received for some other academic unit, please write your unit's name by your initials
3. check the appropriate reason for rejection on the back of the form
4. place the book on the designated "rejection" shelf.

A sign-up sheet is available by each shipment. It lists the names of all liaison librarians and library representatives, by academic units. Please initial the sign-up sheet provided for each shipment. Books not specifically accepted or rejected will be accepted automatically, added to the collection, and charged to the academic unit for which they were profiled. An acceptance will always take precedence over a rejection and will be charged to the accepting academic unit.

APPROVAL FORMS

The Libraries receive approval profile forms, in lieu of books, for selected titles. Forms are distributed to liaison librarians who then forward them to library representatives. Library representatives or liaison librarians can initial the form, return the top copy of the form to the Library's Acquisitions Unit for purchase, and keep the the other copies for their files.

SPECIAL HANDLING

If you would like to have a new book placed on Course Reserve or if you would like to have a new book RUSH processed (24 hours) for your use, please see a library staff member in the Acquisitions/Receiving Unit to arrange for priority cataloging. If you would simply like to be notified once a book has been processed, complete the "Hold for" and "Notify" information on a pink slip available in the same area as the approval plan books.