Acquisitions 101: Tools & Processes

1. Acquisitions 101: Tools & Processes Roberta Schenewerk – Acquisitions Manager Fort Worth Public Library

2. Changes Over the Last 10 Years • Gone from printed to electronic purchase orders • It is much easier to tell immediately if a vendor can supply item • Philosophical change – from the books get here whenever to getting the books to patrons by street date • Internet orders are somewhat more complicated in that every vendor’s database is different • Purchase orders are released continuously instead of only being sent once a week

3. Changes Over the Last 10 Years (continued) • Less data entry – now we bring in vendor bib records • Contracts have moved from low bid to “best value” • Purchasing more circulating materials and fewer reference materials • Spanish materials are a lot easier to identify and obtain • While genealogy materials are still among the hardest to identify and obtain, it is much easier than it was with more of them using the Internet

4. FWPL Background • Serves a population of about 662,000 • 15 libraries including a main/downtown branch, 10 neighborhood branches, 2 regional libraries, & 2 satellite branches • One branch will be relocating to a new facility in the next year • Construction will start on a new branch in about a year • Fort Worth is also the anchor member of a 7 library consortium called MetrOPAC

5. FWPL Background (continued) • Use the SirsiDynix Horizon acquisitions module • FY07 materials budget is a little over $2.4 million • The rough breakdown is • 50% books • 35% AV • 10% online resources • 5% magazines

6. Collection Management Division Consists of ….. • Collection Management Administrator • Materials Selection ( 3 selectors) • Acquisitions (7 staff) • Cataloging (3 staff) • Processing (6 staff) • Digital Resources Librarian

7. FWPL Acquisitions Organization • Acquisitions Manager/Librarian Supervisor • Assistant Manager/Library Assistant • Senior Account Clerk • Ordering Clerk • Receiving Clerk • Mail/Periodical Clerk • Page

8. Allocating the Materials Budget

9. Materials Budget: Who Gets How Much • Allocate “Off the Top” funds • Standing orders • Periodicals • Online Databases • Encyclopedias • Large Print • Teen • Graphic Novels • E-books • Professional Collection

10. Materials Budget: Who Gets How Much • Allocate what’s left among the units based on: • Circulation Performance Indicators • FY07 = goal is to have a 2% across-the-board increase over FY06 circulation (3.8 million circs) • How much do we need to spend in each area to increase circ by 2%? • Shelf capacity and unit size • Special collection development projects and service priorities • Percentage each category had of the total unit circulation

11. WORKFLOWS Fort Worth Public Library

12. FWPL Collection Management Priorities • The Library’s priorities are determined by • The annual Library Business Plan • The Long Range Services Plan which makes “current topics and titles” & “lifelong learning” driving forces in collection development • Collection Management priorities are also based on • Demand and anticipated usage • Age and accuracy • Aesthetics • Collection management from a system-wide perspective • Speed and Efficiency • Having materials available quickly • Spending time and money wisely

13. Cataloging & Processing Priorities • Customer waiting at Central Library • Bestsellers, rushes, & reserves • Time-sensitive continuations • Newly-placed holds (run reports to identify items placed on hold since received) • Everything else (including gifts) done on a first in, first out basis

14. The Acquisitions Process • Ordering • Receiving • Paying And when bad things happen to good orders… • Claiming • Reordering • Cancelling (30 – 60 days after order/pub date) • Returning damaged stuff (time limits, use limits) • Returning stuff not ordered

15. Where Do I Send an Order? • Is there enough money to cover the order? • In the fund and/or in the contract • How quickly do we need it? • Is our rush account fast enough or do we need to go to the bookstore • Which vendors can provide it? • Can one of our primary vendors provide it? • Can a secondary vendor provide it? • If not, should we go elsewhere? • Stock Availability? • Urgency/turnaround time (how close to year-end are we?) • Sole-source? • New or first-time vendor? • Can we charge it? • Discounts? • Can they provide the quantity we need?

16. In a perfect world…. 1. Order lists are compiled from various vendor databases and imported into Horizon to create purchase orders. (Materials Selectors) 2. Funds are encumbered in Horizon as the orders are approved. (Materials Selectors or Ordering Clerk) 3. Orders are sent to vendors electronically, or via mail, phone, or fax. (Materials Selectors or Ordering Clerk) 4. Vendors send order confirmations and or cancellation notices either electronically or via mail. (Ordering Clerk) From Order to Shelf

17. From Order to Shelf (continued) 5. Materials are shipped. - In stock unprocessed materials arrive in 3 to 10 days. - “Shelf ready” materials arrive in 3 to 4 weeks. • Materials are received centrally and invoiced in Horizon. - “Self ready” materials ship out to branches in less than a week. - Unprocessed materials will be sent to Cataloging and/or Processing before being distributed to the branches. (Receiving Clerk) 7. Invoices are input in City’s accounting system and sent to the City’s Accounts Payable Department for payment. (Account Clerk)

18. Mommy, Where Does Cataloging Come From? Flatulence—Fiction

19. Why Use L.C. Cataloging? • Provides consistent access for users • Horizon database and indexes based on LC standards • Helps us create better statistical reports • Less garbage than if everyone did his own thing • Standards are also used by other libraries • Libraries can more easily use and share MARC records • Reduces cataloging costs • Improves tech services turn-around-time • Promotes interlibrary lending

20. Where Does Fort Worth’s Cataloging Come From? • Abbreviated MARC on-order records are brought in from vendor databases or created in-house • In-house cataloging (OCLC and Z39.50) is done for • Hot new DVD releases • Bestselling books • Genealogy • Paperbacks and graphic novels • Standing orders/serials records • Outsourced cataloging (Brodart, OCLC, and BWI) • Adult books • Juvenile books • Vietnamese books • Audio books and music CDs (in the process of setting this up) • Authority records purchased from LSSI • Use and update MetrOPAC (consortium libraries) records

21. Economies of Scale • It costs as much to catalog one copy as it does 50 copies. • If it’s a good title, why are we getting just one copy?

22. Cataloging and Processing Costs

23. FWPL Standing Orders Standing order programs save you work • Fort Worth’s standing orders include • Mass-market paperbacks • Graphic novels • Audio books • Award winners & nominees - Caldecott, Newbery, Lone Star, Bluebonnet, and others • Vietnamese language sets • Fotonovelas • Continuations

24. How Fast Do Patrons Get It? • Approximately 32% of our materials arrive already cataloged and processed. Everything else is done in-house. • About one-third of the titles that come in have holds on them so they receive a rush/priority status. • Turn-around-time studies show • 0.8 day average for bestselling books (uncataloged & unprocessed) • 3.3 day average for blockbuster DVDs (delay accounted for by the fact that we often get these DVDs 1 to 5 days prior to street release date) (uncataloged & unprocessed) • 4.5 day average for shelf-ready books (already cataloged & processed) • 19.6 day average for non-rush AV materials (uncat & unproc) • 6.3 to 19.8 day range for uncataloged, unprocessed, non-rush books

25. VENDORS Fort Worth Public Library

26. FWPL’s Primary Contract Vendors • BRODART CO. • adult and children’s (English and Spanish) books with cataloging and processing services (meaning books arrive to us “shelf-ready).” • INGRAM LIBRARY SERVICES • Mass market paperbacks including standing order paperbacks • BOOK WHOLESALERS INC (BWI) • Backlist DVDs (unprocessed) • Bestsellers (books) (unprocessed) • Music CDs (unprocessed) • Audio books on CDs (cataloged & processed) • Book & CD read-alongs (cataloged & processed) • EBSCO • Magazines • BAKER & TAYLOR • Continuation services (unprocessed) • Feature film releases (unprocessed)

27. Secondary Vendors Amazon Midwest Tape Barnes & Noble Best Buy BWI Baker & Taylor Ingram Sole Source Vendors BBC Audio Ebsco Online Learning Express Overdrive Recorded Books World Book Standard & Poors InfoUSA Proquest Secondary & Sole Source Vendors

28. Am I Demanding Something or Asking a Favor?

29. Basic Ground Rules • Identify yourself completely • Be prepared with complete information • Know the company lingo • Assume good faith and human error over treachery • Return messages promptly • Be assertive yet reasonable • Avoid making unreasonable demands • Be civil, not hostile • Be consistent • Keep your appointments

30. BAD REASONS Occasional service problems Problems that aren’t the vendor’s fault Problems that are your own fault “Grass is Greener”syndrome GOOD REASONS Criminal or unethical behavior Patterns of bad service that don’t get better Vendor can’t or won’t fix a problem Policy changes that make the vendor a bad fit for your library Chronic fiscal problems Switching Vendors

31. RFPs & CONTRACTS Fort Worth Public Library

32. Contracts for Materials • The State of Texas and City of Fort Worth Purchasing rules require that anything we spend more than $25,000 on must go out for competitive bid and/or be approved by the Mayor & City Council • Contracts allow us to purchase materials at a pre-determined discount for products and services during the term of the contract • Contracts give detailed instructions on cataloging and processing services • Contracts can guarantee free shipping • Well written contracts assure that we get added value through database services, collection development services, electronic ordering, and so forth

33. Contracts for Materials (continued) • Contracts guarantee better customer service by allowing us to establish a good working relationship with our vendors by giving us a primary contact with the vendor • We have more clout with a vendor knowing poor customer service could result in the loss of a large contract • RFPs (Request for Proposals) can can be written in such a way that we are not automatically required to go with the lowest bidder • City Purchasing helps keeps us legal by reviewing specifications, announcing bid openings, offering input on awarding the contract, and getting Mayor & Council’s blessing • Larger libraries may choose to go through the bid process themselves, but for many small public libraries this role is fulfilled by the regional library systems

34. Bids vs. RFPs • Use simple bid specifications when you want vendors to supply products only • Use RFPs (Request for Proposals) when your final contract will include products with additional services such as cataloging and processing

35. RFPs & the Evaluation Matrix • Sample matrix for DVD RFP with cataloging & processing services

36. Contract Monitoring & Problems • Contract monitoring is as important as time spent writing the contract • Determine if problems are being caused by ambiguities or unrealistic demands in the contract specifications • Document - record problems in writing • Make an effort to work together to resolve the issues with set deadlines before dropping a contract

37. ETHICAL ISSUES Fort Worth Public Library

38. Basic Ethics • Be honest • Show respect for people • Exhibit professional integrity • Use good business practices

39. Unethical Examples • Contacting a vendor to tell them another vendor has promised a certain discount & asking if they can top it. • Promising vendors more orders than they will receive. • Deliberately delaying payments. • Rejecting material due to personal beliefs. • Deliberately writing bid specifications that exclude fair competition. • What about free lunches and other incentives?

40. ALCTS PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS In all acquisitions transactions, a librarian: 1. Gives 1st consideration to the objectives & policies of his or her institution; 2. Strives to obtain the maximum ultimate value of each dollar of expenditure; 3. Grants all competing vendors equal consideration insofar as the established policies of his or her library permit, & regards each transaction on its own merits; 4. Subscribes to and works for honesty, truth, & fairness in buying and selling, & denounces all forms and manifestations of bribery;

41. ALCTS PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS(continued) 5. Declines personal gifts & gratuities; 6. Uses only by consent original ideas & designs devised by one vendor for competitive purchasing purposes; 7. Accords a prompt & courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions; 8. Fosters & promotes fair, ethical, & legal trade practices; 9. Avoids sharp practice;

42. ALCTS PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS(continued) 10. Strives consistently for knowledge of the publishing & bookselling industry. 11. Strives to establish practical & efficient methods for the conduct of his/her office; 12. Counsels & assists fellow acquisitions librarians in the performance of their duties, whenever occasion permits.

43. JUST STARTING OUT Fort Worth Public Library

44. How to Learn the Job • Is there someone at the library who can show you the ropes? • Contact the regional library system office and visit their web site. • Contact a local library of a similar size using the same library online system. • If your ILS has an acquisitions module use it. • Find out your library’s (and City’s) priorities. • Look for local library networks. • Are you part of a consortium?

45. Who to Buy From? • Your regional system office will have a list of contracted vendors. • Determine which vendors your library has been using & contact the sales reps. • Attend library conventions to find potential vendors. • Ask your colleagues about successful vendor relationships. • Find out your City’s requirements for using new vendors.

46. Money Matters • What’s the fiscal year cycle? • What are my city’s purchasing & account payable rules? • What’s my materials budget & how is it divvied up? • When does the money need to be encumbered and/or spent? • Who pays the bills – library staff or someone at the City? • What are the correct accounts payable procedures? • What documentation do I need to keep & how long? • Do I have a library credit card? If so, what are my restrictions?

47. Money Matters (continued) • Are there limits on how much I can spend with a vendor? • Does the local bookstore give me a discount? • What is my tax exempt number? • Know where your money comes from – City, State, grants. Does any carry over from one fiscal year to another? • Am I required to get competitive bids on materials?

48. Parting Thoughts…. • Don’t re-invent the wheel if you don’t have to…. • Don’t keep unnecessary paperwork. • Look for ways to eliminate steps. • Know and/or establish your priorities. • Take advantage of vendor tools. • Don’t assume vendors don’t have something you can use.