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<b>Bonhams:</b> MANDELSHTAM, OSIP. 1891-1938. Autograph Manuscript, 2 pp, [Petersburg,] January 1913, entitled

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Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers - By Karen Wright The library at Stanford University. A few months ago, I got a query from an East Coast library wanting a particularly expensive art book that I had in my inventory. I replied that I had it, they bought it without quibbling at the price, and I sent it off to its new home. I often get queries from libraries and historical societies on the books in my store - usually very scarce or hard-to-find things – the last being last month; Feeding the Lions, An Algonquin Cookbook. It was a signed first from 1942 and in very nice condition with just minor bumping and a slightly disheveled, but very good dust jacket. Up until that time, I had not really given much thought to selling to libraries or other organizations. I am asked with some regularity to appraise books for the local State Archives and in return they occasionally buy local and western history volumes from me, which is my specialty. This set me to wondering if that might be a good source for me, which, in turn, set me to inquiring about the process of how these libraries and other institutions, such as our local Historical Society, acquire their books. I didn’t think they just got online to Amazon and ABE, though sometimes, I found out, they do. I called a few of the people in the various institutions with whom I have worked from time to time, but it had a domino effect in that I now have a whole bunch of information about different organizations and institutions from Nevada to California to New Mexico. They generously imparted information on what they are looking for and how they go about buying. First, let me just say, everyone I talked with said that they really try to get rare or antiquarian books donated rather than buying them. This, of course, is very sensible. Second, most libraries have quite extensive collections of books and are very, very particular about what they buy and about the condition of the books. They don’t call them “special” collections for nothing, you know. Let’s start with the big kids and work down. I talked at some length with Zachary Baker, the Assistant University Librarian for the Collection Development at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I talked to them because I do a lot of book buying at the Palo Alto FOL Store. Baker is the Curator of Judaica and Hebraica in addition to his other duties. He noted that because Stanford is a very large research library, differing from small colleges or public libraries, they collect across a vast array of disciplines on a very large scale. They collect current publications retrospectively, and also volumes that appear in traditional printed form as well as in electronic and other formats. They have hundreds of vendors in their data bases with whom they deal. Professor Baker buys antiquarian books for his Judaica and Hebraica collection, and his other colleagues do the same for their specialties, as well. They have a lot of specialized bibliographers and curators whose fields of expertise run the gamut from philosophy to African studies, to economics, polyscience, history, literature, etc., and each has a range of dealers with whom they do business. Some are exclusive to the fields in which they deal and some have a large range of materials. They can be people who do business out of their apartments and shops or they may be large distributors – “For example,” said Baker, “a fellow in Berlin who I met at an antiquarian book fair and whose catalogues I’ve been receiving for some time. I look through and I ask if certain books are available then order what we want.” Then I went to the two much, much smaller local libraries near where we live; the Washoe County Library in Reno and the Nevada Historical Society in Reno. Their systems are very much like most small library systems all around the country.
Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers - By Karen Wright We spoke to Michael Maher, Head Historian of the Nevada Historical Society and asked him where he gets his books. “I keep up with new book literature. We have special collections and we collect Nevada and Great Basin-related material. We go to bookstores, read Nevada and Reno newspapers, academic publishers send information and catalogs, we get donations, word of mouth from people who come here to do research, and if we are approached by a bookseller it depends on the cost and rarity. If it is a book we really want and we can’t afford it, we see if there are individual donors that will purchase it for us.” He also said that when local authors use photos from the Society’s enormous historical photo collections, they ask the authors to donate a copy of the book when it is published. He said they usually do, but sometimes not. Next we spoke with, Brenda Baxter, Knowledge Services Coordinator for the Washoe County Library in Reno. She oversees the selection and ordering of all WCLS materials including circulating materials, reference, databases, ebooks, periodicals, and the like. I asked her several questions regarding their acquisitions. Where do you get your new books? “We order the vast majority of our books from Baker and Taylor. Very rarely, we go directly to a vendor when we cannot get a title from B & T.” Where do you get collectible or antiquarian books? “As a public library, we offer very few books of this nature and the few we have are donated.” How and when do you make the decision to send the books to the Friends of the Library sales? “Books must fit into a set of criteria for us to add to our collection. This criteria is consistent with our collection development policy.” I noted that the books they accept required the same physical characteristics that I require when I buy books, and I think most book buyers look for the same thing; no writing, highlighting, inscriptions, or markings on materials, no yellow pages or water-damaged materials, no rips, tears, no stinkyness or smoke smell. She said they also do not take advance copies of books, cassette tapes, or magazines. In the case of non-fiction, they want books no older than three years, especially when concerned with computers, legal, or medical subjects. With fiction and audio books, they want books no older than five years (except for the classics) and they must have no more than four other titles in the system - and then only if the books are in high demand. All donations that do not fit into these criteria are sent to the Friends Store and Sales. We next spoke to Katherine Gienger, Operations Manager for the Monographic and Serial Paper unit of Collections and Acquisitions services for the University of New Mexico library. Katherine has been in the department for thirty-one years and was kind enough to chat with me about their acquisition policies. How do you decide what books to buy? She said that the heads of the collections department “ambassadors” (as they are called) consult with faculty in each department such as history, economics, sciences, or others. The faculty reviews the offerings and then decides what they want to purchase. Do you ever buy from independent booksellers or from online sellers such as Amazon, ABE or Alibris? She noted that if a bookseller has a book that they feel the University might want, they can contact the acquisitions folks and, if the price is right and they want the book, then they will buy it. She said that they do buy from all three online sellers, depending on price and subject matter. They have many vendors that they usually use, but if they are in a rush for a book and their usual contacts don’t have it, they will check Amazon, ABE, et al. And of course, they want to get the best prices possible.
Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers - By Karen Wright Here are a few other tips I gleaned about acquisitions: Some libraries have an email or snail mail form you can send in to request that the library purchase a certain book or periodical. If you are interested in selling a particular book to a library, it makes the most sense to call their Head of Acquisitions or Head of Collections to see if they have the book, or even want it. If the library or organization has more than 500,000 volumes, and many large libraries and universities do, you might want to search for a subject specialist or bibliography for the subject you want to sell to them. If you want to find out what library has what books you can go to the library and look at their shelves, or you can go to their websites and check their inventories, though they are not always up to date. Another source is worldcat.org, which “Connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide.” They list books, music, CDs, and videos and digital versions of antiquarian items not available to the general public. They also have a direct link to a librarian so you can ask questions. All in all, there are a number of ways in which to glean new customers from libraries and other societies. It just takes that good old hard work of searching for the sources, contacting them by email, snail mail or telephone, or putting together a catalogue of books you think they might like and sending it. But, once you’re in with a source and you offer good books they want, then you’ll probably be their vendor for a long, long time.

Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers

- By Karen Wright

The library at Stanford University.

A few months ago, I got a query from an East Coast library wanting a particularly expensive art book that I had in my inventory. I replied that I had it, they bought it without quibbling at the price, and I sent it off to its new home. I often get queries from libraries and historical societies on the books in my store - usually very scarce or hard-to-find things – the last being last month; Feeding the Lions, An Algonquin Cookbook. It was a signed first from 1942 and in very nice condition with just minor bumping and a slightly disheveled, but very good dust jacket. Up until that time, I had not really given much thought to selling to libraries or other organizations.

I am asked with some regularity to appraise books for the local State Archives and in return they occasionally buy local and western history volumes from me, which is my specialty.

This set me to wondering if that might be a good source for me, which, in turn, set me to inquiring about the process of how these libraries and other institutions, such as our local Historical Society, acquire their books. I didn’t think they just got online to Amazon and ABE, though sometimes, I found out, they do. I called a few of the people in the various institutions with whom I have worked from time to time, but it had a domino effect in that I now have a whole bunch of information about different organizations and institutions from Nevada to California to New Mexico. They generously imparted information on what they are looking for and how they go about buying.

First, let me just say, everyone I talked with said that they really try to get rare or antiquarian books donated rather than buying them. This, of course, is very sensible. Second, most libraries have quite extensive collections of books and are very, very particular about what they buy and about the condition of the books. They don’t call them “special” collections for nothing, you know.

Let’s start with the big kids and work down. I talked at some length with Zachary Baker, the Assistant University Librarian for the Collection Development at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I talked to them because I do a lot of book buying at the Palo Alto FOL Store.

Baker is the Curator of Judaica and Hebraica in addition to his other duties. He noted that because Stanford is a very large research library, differing from small colleges or public libraries, they collect across a vast array of disciplines on a very large scale. They collect current publications retrospectively, and also volumes that appear in traditional printed form as well as in electronic and other formats. They have hundreds of vendors in their data bases with whom they deal.

Professor Baker buys antiquarian books for his Judaica and Hebraica collection, and his other colleagues do the same for their specialties, as well. They have a lot of specialized bibliographers and curators whose fields of expertise run the gamut from philosophy to African studies, to economics, polyscience, history, literature, etc., and each has a range of dealers with whom they do business. Some are exclusive to the fields in which they deal and some have a large range of materials. They can be people who do business out of their apartments and shops or they may be large distributors – “For example,” said Baker, “a fellow in Berlin who I met at an antiquarian book fair and whose catalogues I’ve been receiving for some time. I look through and I ask if certain books are available then order what we want.”

Then I went to the two much, much smaller local libraries near where we live; the Washoe County Library in Reno and the Nevada Historical Society in Reno. Their systems are very much like most small library systems all around the country.

Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers

- By Karen Wright

We spoke to Michael Maher, Head Historian of the Nevada Historical Society and asked him where he gets his books. “I keep up with new book literature. We have special collections and we collect Nevada and Great Basin-related material. We go to bookstores, read Nevada and Reno newspapers, academic publishers send information and catalogs, we get donations, word of mouth from people who come here to do research, and if we are approached by a bookseller it depends on the cost and rarity. If it is a book we really want and we can’t afford it, we see if there are individual donors that will purchase it for us.”

He also said that when local authors use photos from the Society’s enormous historical photo collections, they ask the authors to donate a copy of the book when it is published. He said they usually do, but sometimes not.

Next we spoke with, Brenda Baxter, Knowledge Services Coordinator for the Washoe County Library in Reno. She oversees the selection and ordering of all WCLS materials including circulating materials, reference, databases, ebooks, periodicals, and the like. I asked her several questions regarding their acquisitions.

Where do you get your new books? “We order the vast majority of our books from Baker and Taylor. Very rarely, we go directly to a vendor when we cannot get a title from B & T.”

Where do you get collectible or antiquarian books? “As a public library, we offer very few books of this nature and the few we have are donated.”

How and when do you make the decision to send the books to the Friends of the Library sales? “Books must fit into a set of criteria for us to add to our collection. This criteria is consistent with our collection development policy.”

I noted that the books they accept required the same physical characteristics that I require when I buy books, and I think most book buyers look for the same thing; no writing, highlighting, inscriptions, or markings on materials, no yellow pages or water-damaged materials, no rips, tears, no stinkyness or smoke smell. She said they also do not take advance copies of books, cassette tapes, or magazines. In the case of non-fiction, they want books no older than three years, especially when concerned with computers, legal, or medical subjects. With fiction and audio books, they want books no older than five years (except for the classics) and they must have no more than four other titles in the system - and then only if the books are in high demand. All donations that do not fit into these criteria are sent to the Friends Store and Sales.

We next spoke to Katherine Gienger, Operations Manager for the Monographic and Serial Paper unit of Collections and Acquisitions services for the University of New Mexico library. Katherine has been in the department for thirty-one years and was kind enough to chat with me about their acquisition policies.

How do you decide what books to buy? She said that the heads of the collections department “ambassadors” (as they are called) consult with faculty in each department such as history, economics, sciences, or others. The faculty reviews the offerings and then decides what they want to purchase.

Do you ever buy from independent booksellers or from online sellers such as Amazon, ABE or Alibris? She noted that if a bookseller has a book that they feel the University might want, they can contact the acquisitions folks and, if the price is right and they want the book, then they will buy it.

She said that they do buy from all three online sellers, depending on price and subject matter. They have many vendors that they usually use, but if they are in a rush for a book and their usual contacts don’t have it, they will check Amazon, ABE, et al. And of course, they want to get the best prices possible.

Library and Institution Acquisitions - Some tips for booksellers

- By Karen Wright

Here are a few other tips I gleaned about acquisitions:

Some libraries have an email or snail mail form you can send in to request that the library purchase a certain book or periodical.

If you are interested in selling a particular book to a library, it makes the most sense to call their Head of Acquisitions or Head of Collections to see if they have the book, or even want it.

If the library or organization has more than 500,000 volumes, and many large libraries and universities do, you might want to search for a subject specialist or bibliography for the subject you want to sell to them.

If you want to find out what library has what books you can go to the library and look at their shelves, or you can go to their websites and check their inventories, though they are not always up to date. Another source is worldcat.org, which “Connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide.” They list books, music, CDs, and videos and digital versions of antiquarian items not available to the general public. They also have a direct link to a librarian so you can ask questions.

All in all, there are a number of ways in which to glean new customers from libraries and other societies. It just takes that good old hard work of searching for the sources, contacting them by email, snail mail or telephone, or putting together a catalogue of books you think they might like and sending it. But, once you’re in with a source and you offer good books they want, then you’ll probably be their vendor for a long, long time.