Stacia Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) Our library system lets people make requests for books that the library should buy. You must submit the request electronically & eventually, there will be some sort of reply to the request. I recently requested that they buy a book. I got a response back that said, "Because of the age of this title, we will not be able to obtain a copy for the collection...." Really? This book was first published 2 whole years ago (Sept. of 2009). Do libraries only purchase 'new' stuff (as in, published in the last 6 months or so)? It is a title that is readily/easily available on amazon, as well as many other places. Just curious. I'd love to hear from anyone who is 'in the know' or could make an educated guess.... :bigear: ETA: The book I requested is a fiction novel.... Edited August 10, 2011 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I'm not a librarian, but I remembered this thread from a few weeks ago. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293457&highlight=library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yes, it is common for a library to have a policy that it will only purchase books that have been published fairly recently, with the obvious exception of classic titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 A lot of fiction is checked out when it first comes out (like the hot new novel from... Whoever). Older titles tend to sit on the shelf. The library has a finite amount of money and shelf space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Our library system lets people make requests for books that the library should buy. You must submit the request electronically & eventually, there will be some sort of reply to the request. I recently requested that they buy a book. I got a response back that said, "Because of the age of this title, we will not be able to obtain a copy for the collection...." Really? This book was first published 2 whole years ago (Sept. of 2009). Do libraries only purchase 'new' stuff (as in, published in the last 6 months or so)? It is a title that is readily/easily available on amazon, as well as many other places. Just curious. I'd love to hear from anyone who is 'in the know' or could make an educated guess.... :bigear: ETA: The book I requested is a fiction novel.... IME, librarians are unlikely to order older fiction unless it is a classic or has significant current appeal because they tend to sit on the shelf and add little to nothing to the overall depth of a collection. I would not purchase an older fiction book unless there were a current demand for it. One request from one patron wouldn't be enough demand for me to consider it. For one patron, or even just two, I would offer to bring in the title via Interlibrary-Loan, which in my province includes all public libraries. Someone probably has a copy. However, if I received requests from several patrons, I would seriously consider the purchase even if it added nothing to the collection overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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