How do library's acquire their books?

Hello LibraryThing Librarians,

This is a question about selling books to libraries. This thread seems like the perfect place I could get the best answer from.

10 years ago I happened to acquire 13,000 first edition (and only edition) copies of what I soon learned was a rare out of print title. I have been selling the books over the years on Amazon, Ebay and from a website I built. Last week the Los Angeles Public Library (Yes the one on Hope street!), purchased 3 copies of the book from my Amazon account, which gave me the idea to contact libraries thinking there must be interest for the title. So my question is, can libraries be contacted to purchase books? If so, who in the library should be contacted, and what is the best way to solicit them for a sale?

TIA for any advice you can give me! -BigAddison

I'm always receiving unsolicited emails from vendors about library software, electronic resources, etc. I don't see why books would be any different. You should probably:

A. Identify a set of libraries that might be interested in the book -- is the book special for some reason -- i.e. subject, local author, etc
B. Identify the purchasing authority or selector for the library -- contacting the head of cataloging or head of public services is liable to get you more responses that contacting the library director...unless the library is fairly small.

Just know that unsolicited email is annoying and you may get some irate responses.

You should not send unsolicited sales emails to library discussion lists. That's pretty much frowned upon across the spectrum.

YMMV...

Thank you lesmel, yes I appreciate the sensitivity of soliciting for sales in discussion groups, which is why I did not include the book title or other sales material in my question. I don't mind doing the legwork, I'm just trying to find the correct method so I don't waste time and money on the "Learning curve" to approach libraries about buying my books.

"Identify a set of libraries that might be interested in the book -- is the book special for some reason -- i.e. subject, local author, etc" Hmmm well my book is a non-fiction, highly controversial and fascinating account of paranormal activity. It's highly regarded as "Rare" because it was pulled from the bookstore shelves within months of its only printing. So what kind of libraries would be interested in such a title? I just figured public libraries were pretty much the same, I didn't realize there are "Types" to consider.

Also, would you know if there are available mailing (or emailing) lists available for libraries?

>3 BigAddison:

Public libraries are not "pretty much the same". Just about every library will have acquisition and collections development policies with a variety of criteria. Their decisions will consider the demographics of the library district and the needs and wishes of their patrons. My local branch library, for example, has a substantial number of books by and about African-Americans, while other branches have collections of LGBT books, or books that are in demand among Polish or Chinese populations. They'll consider whether the book is likely to have lasting value, whether the author is a recognized authority in her field, etc.

Some libraries also have procedures that allow patrons to suggest books to purchase.

Be aware that most library books are purchased not from the publisher or author but from a distributor.

The ALA has information about marketing to libraries: http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet05

Thank you lilthcat, that's very interesting. I would have never thought of the demographic qualities involved in Library book inventories. More so, your comments pointed out a glaring obvious indicator that points me to my starting place. The title bears the name of a state in its title!

Thanks again for taking the time to give me your expert advice and the link to ALA.

Like >4 lilithcat: says, public libraries vary greatly based on patron demographics as well as geography -- urban vs rural, multi-branch vs single library, county vs town/city vs region. Also, some public library branches are genealogy focused (or like >4 lilithcat: said...demographic focused) or small-business focused, etc

All great information lesmal. Thanks a ton!

13,000 copies of a nonfiction paranormal book sounds like an unsuccessful self-published book. Knowing nothing more than what you have written to describe the book suggests to me that this could be more of a "would libraries want it at all" than "how can I find the libraries who would want it" situation.

Was there a particular reason why the book was pulled -- other than it did not sell and needed to be removed to make room for newer books? If a copy was offered on eBay, would it sell?

"Rare" is an indication of few available (usually a much smaller number than 13,000 by a factor of 1,000 or 10,000).

"Scarce" indicates that there is more demand than supply.

James

James, with all due respect, I'm not trying to be coy, I respect the fact that trolling discussion groups for self gain is frowned upon. I'm being deliberate in not trying to "promote" sales here, but rather I wanted to go directly to the source for some expert advice. I can assure you the book is not "self published" (It was printed by Bantam Books in 1983) and was penned by a very famous author in the field of Demonology. He has several very successful titles on the subject. If invited I will be glad to provide the title. Otherwise, I have culled from the responses here a targeted plan to solicit sales from specific libraries. For that I am very grateful.

>9 BigAddison: I looked at your book (by following the link on your profile). I note that it isn't rare, and was even reprinted (in 2006). In fact, there are 21 LT members (including you) that have the book. I own rare books, many of them valuable. Many more are simply rare, but have little value. I quit adding those types of books here on LT once I become more involved (for various reasons), but having 13,000 copies of the first edition of a book that's available as a reprint (and to be kind, appeals to a vanishingly small portion of the population)...

Enough. I'll reserve most of my comments as being neither useful nor kind.

Stick around. Upload more books. Hang out. It's an interesting bunch of people, here on LT. They are smarter and more educated than the average, and have a wide and interesting range of interests. It's a fun place.

Here's a rare book: A B C of the Telephone This is worth somewhere between $25 and $50 (it's in near pristine condition). There's another copy here on LT. To my knowledge, no one in their right mind would want it, and yet, it's one of my favorites.

ETA: I point out the value only for amusement purposes. I love that book.

Lindatrue, well I guess "rare" can be subjective, in this book's case, it's offered used on Amazon for upwards of $80 and more. I've been selling 2 or 3 a week of my "new" copies for many many years for $25+. The book is considered a treasure to those interested in the subject, and that small portion of the population, as you put it, is responsible for Horror genre movies that are cranked out year after year. In regards to a "Reprint", the only thing I have ever seen is someone who reproduces it in some kind of publish on demand format. I really don't how they do it, but they do it with many out of print books available on Amazon. All the books have the same cover art with the exception being the book title. They are listed as "New" starting at $68 and go up to $116 at present. If you can find a reprint of the original edition I would be very surprised indeed.

As has often been said on LT, prices for books online don't really indicate what a book is worth, just what someone hopes to get, but hasn't received. If someone had paid it, that entry would disappear.

I was once at a museum with a friend, and she was delighted to see a book published by the museum available in their shop. She had wanted a copy for some time, but the only copies she had seen online were going for over twice the cost of the still in print book. It was still expensive, but given the size and quality of the book, limited audience, number of illustrations ..., not outrageously so. In this case it was 'rare' because it was not available through normal book channels, but only from a small private museum in a Swiss village. (Currently the price on Abe books is only $10 more for a used copy than a new copy costs from the museum.)

Yes I agree the prices don't indicate the worth. All I know is there is never one listed for less than what I sell them for. Other "new" copies started to appear over the years, and are always priced at $50 and up. They bought them from me. LOL!

Getting away from the issues of cost and value and rarity and scarcity, there is also the issue of collection development policies and patron challenges at an individual library.

For public libraries, both of those may mean that your particular book, no matter how interesting on an individual level, may not be allowed to be acquired.

If it is, as you say, controversial, and was pulled from shelves months after printing, and is about demonology, that set of factors right there will count against it for many public libraries, especially in rural, conservative, or religious areas.

Public libraries already face semi-regular "challenges" from patrons and the public (often parents of older children or teens who read what the parent considers objectionable material) where an item is called out in an attempt to force the library to remove the item from the collection. Because of that, there are often stringent acquisition requirements which are designed to help defend the reputation of the library, and of any particular item in the collection, as being reasonable, well-thought, and purchased based on clear, quantifiable, and demonstrable metrics.

So libraries will often have a "collection development policy" and a "review for consideration for removal policy" which references whether an item has been reviewed by library publications or by professionals in the field, asks whether the item is controversial or not in subject matter (often looking to see if there is a more "middle of the road" example which could replace it), looks at how current the item is (again, current or updated titles are generally preferred by the public libraries I have worked at, and my current library will not purchase any print material if it is more than 1 year old unless it has been requested more than twice by patrons of our own county, and the item is not available for lending through our network - we're not even the most strict policy!), and what the contents consist of (in your example for instance, are there gory "horror movie" style descriptions of demonic possession or scenes of exorcism or hauntings? are there "examples" of rites or ceremonies which could offend? If so, even if it was new, even if it was well-reviewed, even if it was important to the field, it's unlikely to be purchased by many conservative or cautious systems, especially if there are more moderate or less graphically descriptive examples available.)

Most public libraries do not consider themselves to have any mandate to purchase things simply because they are not owned by other places, or to purposefully collect interesting or rare things - that's for archives and special collections. So a book that is nearing 30 years old, on a controversial and fairly niche subject, with a history of having been removed from shelves already when it was new? Not an easy sell, sadly.

If you're interested tho, some libraries have their policies posted online on their websites, and it's usually VERY easy to find a "challenged material" or "banned books" or "request for removal" policy posted. Some also post their collection development policy, but not all, and it might be buried in a general policies and mandates handbook. It's an eye-opening set of limitations that most people don't ever think about.

If I were you I'd go looking for special collections and archives and museums or attractions (haunted house tours) that are related to your subject matter and ask them if they're interested.

If you go the state library website, or the state library association website, of any particular state, they will probably have a listserve for their member libraries and perhaps a directory with contact info. Individual public library websites usually have their policies available online, including their Collection Development guidelines. As for whom specifically to contact, collection responsibilities vary depending on staff size and other factors. Most all library websites have a 'contact us' link to their reference desk email. An inquiry sent to that address, with request to forward to the relevant collection librarian, would probably find its way to person you seek. Also, titles appropriate for state collections are frequently purchased in multiple copies, and for archives. Hope this is helpful!