acquisition and binding policy towards paperbacks

From: <acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:48:08 -0600
To: <acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org>
Dear colleagues, 
 
My library would like to reconsider our acquisition and binding policies towards paperbacks.  We currently purchase the hardcover if a title is available in both hardcover and paperback and we currently bind all paperbacks before they go to the stacks.  I would like to hear what acquisitions and binding policies other libraries have towards paperbacks.  
 
Does your library have a preference between hardcover and paperback for new acquisitions?  If paperback is preferred, what is your binding policy towards paperbacks? 
 
Does your library have a policy not binding paperbacks?  Several years ago my library deferred paperback binding until the book was circulated once in order to cut binding cost.  We resumed binding all paperbacks 2 years later.  We now want to look into cutting binding cost again and wondering if we should consider defer paperback binding.  Our circulation statistics showed about 50% of the paperbacks were circulated within 3 years of purchase so defer binding until first use may not save much in binding cost while additional cost is incurred for re-processing the same books.
 
Thank you in advance for sharing your experience and thoughts on this topic. 
 
Ling-li
 
 
 
-----------------------------------------------------
Ling-li Chang
Head of Monograph Acquisitions & Cataloging Department
E.M. Cudahy Library
Loyola University Chicago
1032 W. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60660
Tel: (773) 508-2651
Fax: (773) 508-2993
Email:  lchang_at_luc.edu


_______________________________________________
ACQNET-L mailing list
ACQNET-L_at_lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/acqnet-l
Received on Thu Feb 17 2011 - 13:35:11 EST