Lecture 1b: Lecture 1b: Introduction to Introduction to

Acquisitions (ACQ)Acquisitions (ACQ)

Lecture 1b: Lecture 1b: Introduction to Introduction to

Acquisitions (ACQ)Acquisitions (ACQ)Development andDevelopment andManagement of Management of

CollectionsCollections

Introduction to Acquisitions

Objective: To have a general overview of acquisitions (ACQ)

Coverage:1. Place/Role/Relationship/Interface of ACQ2. Scope of ACQ Services3. Goal of ACQ Services4. Organizational Patterns of ACQ Services5. Staffing of ACQ Services6. Overview of Automation of ACQ7. Principles and Standards of ACQ Practice8. Literature of ACQ Services9. Professional Organizations

1. Place/Role/Relationship/

Interface of ACQ• The Library as a Whole• Collection Development• Cataloguing/Bibliographic Control• Other Services/Units

2. Scope of ACQ Services• General Characteristics of the Business Aspects of

Librarianship• Materials Handled/Not Handled by an ACQ Department

– Monographs vs Continuing Resources• Serials and Standing Orders• Electronic Databases – CD-ROMs/Online• Cable TV/Videos

– Print vs Non-Print• Audiovisual Materials• Electronic Resources – CD-ROMs/Online

– Ownership vs Access• Electronic Resources• Interlibrary Loans• Reprographics

3. Goals of ACQ Services• To acquire materials as rapidly as possible• To acquire materials as inexpensively as possible• To function like a smoothly-operating business (pay

bills in 30 days, answer correspondence and return phone calls promptly, etc.)

4. Organizational Patterns of ACQ Services

• By Activity– Collection Development– Order Requests & Ordering– Receiving & Invoicing– Processing

• By Type of Material Acquired– Books– Non-Print Materials– Serials Subscriptions– Electronic Resources

• By Means of Acquiring Materials– Purchase– Subscriptions– Lease– Gifts and Exchanges

5. Staff of ACQ Services• Levels of Staff

– Professional– Para-professional– Operational

• Staff Training– Budget Preparation and Accounting– Expert Knowledge

• Subjects• Material Types

– Purchasing Functions– Record Keeping and Documentation– Negotiation and Communication

• Customer Service• Vendor/Supplier Management

5. Staff of ACQ Services• Staff Evaluation

– Expert Knowledge– Turnover of Order Requests/Orders/Receipts

• Volume• Speed

– Communication Skills• Work Standards and Quotas• Staff Motivation

6. Overview of Automation of ACQ

• Basic Applications or Uses in ACQ– Control/Guidance of Tasks– Storage and Retrieval of Records/Files– Communicating/Disseminating Information– Analyzing Information

• Impacts of Automation on ACQ– Better Control, Audit Trails– Faster and More Accurate Transfer of Information

7. Principles and Standards of ACQ

Practice• ALCTS Statement - In all acquisitions transactions, a librarian:

– gives first consideration to the objectives and policies of his or her institution; – strives to obtain the maximum ultimate value of each dollar of expenditure; – grants all competing vendors equal consideration insofar as the established policies of his

or her library permit, and regards each transaction on its own merits; – subscribes to and works for honesty, truth, and fairness in buying and selling, and

denounces all forms and manifestations of bribery; – declines personal gifts and gratuities; – uses only by consent original ideas and designs devised by one vendor for competitive

purchasing purposes; – accords a prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on

legitimate business missions; – fosters and promotes fair, ethical, and legal trade practices; – avoids sharp practice; – strives consistently for knowledge of the publishing and bookselling industry; – strives to establish practical and efficient methods for the conduct of his/her office; – counsels and assists fellow acquisitions librarians in the performance of their duties,

whenever occasion permits.

8. Literature of ACQ Services

• Monographs– The Complete Guide to Acquisitions Management /

Frances C. Wilkinson, Linda K. Lewis (ISBN: 1563088908)– Managing Acquisitions in Library and Information

Services / Liz Chapman (ISBN: 1856044963)– Fundamentals of Collection Development and

Management / Peggy Johnson (ISBN: 0838908535)– Managing Budgets and Finances : a How-to-do-it Manual

for Librarians / Arlita W. Hallam and Teresa R. Dalston (ISBN: 1555705197)

– Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services : paths for the future and case studies / edited by Bradford Lee Eden (ISBN: 1591580927)

8. Literature of ACQ Services

• Professional Journals– The Acquisitions Librarian (ISSN: 0896-3576)– ALCTS Newsletter Online (ISSN: 1523-018X)– Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services

(LCATS) (ISSN: 1464-9055)– Library Resources and Technical Services (LRTS) (ISSN:

0024-2527)• Electronic Resources

– ACQWeb – “gathering place for librarians and other professionals interested in acquisitions and collection development”

• URL - http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/

9. Professional Organizations

• Library Association of Singapore (LAS)– URL – http://www.las.org.sg

• American Library Association (ALA)– URL – http://www.ala.org – Association for Library Collections & Technical Services

(ALCTS)• URL - http://www.ala.org/ALCTSTemplate.cfm?Section=alcts

• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)– URL – http://www.ifla.org – Acquisition and Collection Development Section

• URL - http://www.ifla.org/VII/s14/index.htm