[Original posting on this topic is reproduced below; the responses follow it.]
From: Margaret Devereaux <deverema_at_cayuga-cc.edu>
I'm curious what the thoughts of others are about using Amazon (or Barnes &
Noble, or any other online book seller) as a selection tool. By this, I
mean in place of standard sources such as Choice, LJ, etc.
Personally, I occasionally use these online booksellers to verify prices,
availability, etc.; however, some of my colleagues rely on them to do
substantial collection development. We are a small community college and
do not use approval plans.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Margaret
Margaret Devereaux
Collection Development Librarian
Cayuga Community College
Auburn NY 13021
315.255.1743 ext 2291
deverema_at_cayuga-cc.edu
===========================================================================================================================
(1) From: Barbara Breiman <barbara.breiman_at_bcc.cuny.edu>
I don't use them as a selection tool, but as you do, for pricing, etc. For
selection I use the standard sources, including BIP and Choice, both online.
Barbara L. Breiman
Collection Management Librarian
Bronx Community College Library
University Avenue & West 181st Street
Bronx, New York 10453
718-289-5432
718-289-6063 (FAX)
===========================================================================================================================
(2) From: Lori Schwabenbauer <lschwaben_at_holyfamily.edu>
I've used Amazon for its book reviews for some areas that Choice doesn't
cover well. Of course, personal reviews on Amazon can come from anyone,
expert in the field or not, so they need to be read with a critical eye.
Lori A. Schwabenbauer, MSLS
Director of Library Services
Holy Family University
9701 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19114
215-637-7700 x3314 // fax 215-632-8067
Lschwaben_at_holyfamily.edu
http://www.holyfamily.edu/library/
=============================================================================================================
(3) From: Rudy Leon <leonre_at_potsdam.edu>
I am at a 4400 FTE institution, and we do not use approval plans either.
Many of my areas for selection are not well covered in Choice or other
sources (particularly Instructional and Communication Technology, but
others as well), and I find myself using anything I can for reviews--
including Google Scholar, Google proper, and Amazon, as well as Choice and
JSTOR (and I'm looking forward to our implementation of MUSE as a source
for more recent reviews!). I never use Amazon alone, but I must admit that
if I can't find other reviews from other sources, there generally aren't
any in Amazon either.
Currently, I find myself pondering the "cited by" number in Google Scholar,
and trying to determine the efficacy and uses of that citation index.
I'm curious to hear what other folks use.
=============================================================================================================
(4) From: Michael Crumpton <macrumpton_at_waketech.edu>
As a former bookseller I feel there is some merit in the use of online
book selling resources as well as browsing a bookstore just to see
what's current and trendy. And that becomes part of the point, as a
collection tool some subjects might not require or direct students to
specific current publications so I'm cautious in that regard. However,
I do find value in reviewing, non-fiction in particular, lists and/or
aisles of what students/customers are seeing when they are out in the
"public" domain.
Michael Crumpton
Director of Library Services
Bruce I. Howell Library
Wake Technical Community College
9101 Fayetteville Road
Raleigh, NC 27603
=============================================================================================================
(5) From: "Metter, Ellen" <Ellen.Metter_at_cudenver.edu>
I think Amazon is terrific as a collection tool. Some things I like:
--The regular inclusion of reviews from places like Booklist and
Publisher's Weekly
--Simple search interface
--Ability to quickly find books on a particular topic
--Being able, often, to browse the book. At the very least, a TOC or
lengthy excerpt is usually available.
--Though reviews from individuals can't really be seen as wholly reliable
since there's no saying if the author wrote all of them, they can be
useful/show a trend of thought
--Inclusion of both out-of-print and forthcoming items
--If Amazon says a book is available in 24-hours you know its sitting in
their warehouse. Some books may be hard to get from a book vendor but easy
to get through Amazon since the publisher is still distributing through them
--It's free
I still use an amalgam of other resources including Choice cards and
checking scholarly articles when I think its necessary. But I use Amazon
every day in my work.
Ellen Metter
Humanities/Anthropology Bibliographer
Auraria Library
University of Colorado at Denver - Metropolitan
State College of Denver - Community College of Denver
1100 Lawrence Street
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 556-4516
Ellen.Metter_at_cudenver.edu
=============================================================================================================
(6) From: Jeff Scott <JScott_at_ci.casa-grande.az.us>
Subject: Re: CDL-Using Amazon
We are a small public library (population 31,315/80,000 items in the
collection) and we use Amazon because of the collection tool, but never
order from them. We don't order from them because they don't perform any
physical processing or marc records. However, we do use their great
collection development tool in order to know what new titles in certain
subjects/fiction genres are coming out. It also provides professional
reviews on their sites, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, even Horn Book
sometimes. Many book jobbers are starting to develop tools like these.
It is a great format and easy to use.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/13753131/103-0805237-0590245
Go down to amazon approval slips, don't use the approval slip, just use
the "try it now" feature.
This is more public libraries than academic, but it works great for
us.
Hope this helps.
Jeff Scott
Library Manager
Casa Grande Public Library
449 N. Dry Lake
Casa Grande, AZ, 85222
(520) 421-8710
jscott_at_ci.casa-grande.az.us
http://www.ci.casa-grande.az.us
=============================================================================================================
(7) From: Samantha Franklin <sfranklin_at_lcsc.edu>
I am one of 5 librarians at a small four-year college, and we rely heavily
on Choice for our collection development, primarily for the reviews and
level-appropriate recommendations they provide. Sometimes we will use one
of the online booksellers to verify availability or price, but we do not
use them as a selection tool. We also do not have an approval plan.
Samantha Thompson-Franklin, MA, MLIS
Assistant Professor
Public Services Librarian
Lewis-Clark State College Library
500 - 8th Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501
phone: 208-792-2557
fax: 208-792-2831
<mailto:sfranklin_at_lcsc.edu>sfranklin_at_lcsc.edu
============================================================================================================
(8) From: Ying Liu <Ying.Liu_at_uregina.ca>
Basiclly, I use Amazon to verify titles, prices and
availability. Sometimes, you need to search for new items
under a very specific subject or interdisciplinary
interests. Some standard sources could not address the
needs. Amazon is a good choice because it allows vague key
word searching. Also you could see the books and their
tables of content. To make a purchase decision, I will
verify the Amazon results with some standard sources.
Ying
=============================================================================================================
(9) From: Kevin Hastings-Merriman <khastings-merriman_at_earthlink.net>
Your question is about using Amazon as a Col Dev tool, rather than a
vendor. They do have very sophisticated tools for recommending materials, but
it is unlikely that reviews or recommendations are reliable. For example,
"others that bought this book also bought" doesn't mean it's in the same
subject,
and the correlation may be irrelevant to your needs...Also, if libraries
are researching, but not buying, that data probably isn't captured by their
system.
Further, they /may/ have software to push certain publishers, etc. Their
system is not necessarily impartial... who knows?
I prefer to subscribe to BIP online w/ reviews. They include CHOICE reviews
and cross-reference on LC subject headings.
I do use Amazon regularly. They are quick and reliable, offer deferred
invoicing for institutional customers, offer many different media, offer
free shipping over a certain dollar amount, make suggestions pertinent to
your selections and include reviews, some of which are from professionals.
HOWEVER, they don't discount like conventional vendors do, so I only use
them for quick fill-ins such when someone points out a need that I hadn't
foreseen, such as standardized tests study guides close to the testing
date, reference materials when our webmistress started learning PHP,
and supplemental texts as part of our ADA program.
I find that with most orders, the lack of discounting doesn't merit regular
business and we get free shipping plus a discount with other vendors.
I look forward to hearing from those who use Amazon as a primary vendor, as
I may have overlooked something!
I hope this helps.
- Kevin
=============================================================================================================
(10) From: Linwood DeLong <linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>
Subject: Re: CDL-Using Amazon
I generally don't use it for collection development purposes, because I
doubt the scholarly content of any book review information that is posted
there. It's true that Amazon sometimes links you to other titles of
interest and very occasionally, I follow up on these.
Linwood DeLong
Collections Coordinator
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9
Ph. (204) 786-9124
FAX (204) 786-1824
Received on Fri Jan 06 2006 - 02:17:56 EST