The Acquisitions Process
What is the first step in the acquisitions process?
Receive and organize requests/selections
What is “micro selection”?
Ordering items by individual title (firm order)
What shift happened to autoshipped print books during the pandemic?
books during the pandemic?They were halted in favour of e-titles
Name one bibliographic verification tool used in libraries.
Library of Congress Catalogue, OCLC WorldCat, Voila/Aurora, Amazon, Ulrichs, or Global Books in Print
What should staff check when verifying bibliographic data?
Whether the item is already in the catalogue, on order, or in a partner system; and confirm details like title, author, publisher, ISBN, and cost
What is a “blanket order”?
An agreement where a vendor supplies a copy of all publications from a specific publisher or category
What does PDA or DDA stand for?
Patron Driven Acquisition / Demand Driven Acquisition
What type of tool is “Ulrichs”?
A directory of serial publications (magazines, journals, etc.)
What type of file tracks materials after they’ve been ordered but not yet received?
On Order file
What is a “standing order”?
An agreement for ongoing supply of particular materials in a series or subject
What triggers a purchase in a Patron Driven Acquisition model?
When a patron accesses and views/reads the item to a usage threshold
Which verification tool is known for listing serial publications worldwide?
Ulrichs
What are two things staff must check when receiving an item?
That the order is correct and that the item is not damaged
What is an “approval plan”?
An arrangement where a vendor selects and supplies titles that fit the library’s collection profile
According to research, DDA titles show what compared to firm-ordered books?
Much higher levels of use and better return on investment
What purpose does OCLC WorldCat serve in the verification process?
It lets libraries check if items exist in other library catalogues worldwide
Name three possible “Other” tasks in the acquisitions process (besides ordering and receiving).
Returns, claims, cancelling orders, receipts/invoicing/payment, cataloguing/processing
What is the difference between an “approval plan” and a “patron driven acquisition” model?
Approval plans are vendor-selected based on library profiles, while PDA/DDA purchases are triggered by patron use of electronic materials
What is one key consideration about staff time and workflow in acquisition decisions, beyond just item cost?
Staff costs, skills, and time required to evaluate and process acquisitions
Why might a library use both WorldCat and Voila/Aurora when verifying a record?
To compare international and Canadian holdings for accuracy and availability