Re: GEN: Buying books

[Kathryn Frech <lib@STNY.RR.COM>]

On 29 Sep 00, at 18:53, Carrie Wilson <riwilson@SHELTONBBS.COM> wrote:

> If there are convincing arguments that most schools
> DON'T order all at once, I'd like to hear them.

I submit a large order - about half the next year's budget - as
soon as our budget year rolls over on July 1.  Those books will
come in over the summer or early fall for the next school year.

The rest of the budget I dole out over the year, spending about
half to two-thirds of what's  left in the fall term and the rest in the
spring term.

Reasons _not to order all at once?

1. Ease of processing - it's easier to do a little at a time than
tons at once.

2. Publishing industry vageries - books that are published now
may be out of print or at least hard to get a year from now.  Or
only available in paperback rather than hardback.  I'd rather
deal with several small orders in which most items come in than
one large one with bunches of "POS" notations.

3. Pre-pub discounts.  To save money, it helps to be able to
order items throughout the year to take advantage of pre-
publication discounts on those reference items.  If I learn of a
pre-pub book on February 1st, with the deadline for pre-pub
discounts is March 15, and my office wanted all my orders in
by January 1, I have to wait until next year to order it and don't
get the discount.

4. Remainder houses.  Their stock is constantly changing, so if
I see something that I want in November, I'd better be able to
order it in November, becaue ext May it may not be available
anymore.

5. Emergency orders for teachers - for example, if a teacher
just changed their curriculum, and tells me in January they
need some items on "x" by February, I can do it. (Or at least,
start on it. ;-) )

6. Emergency replacements - for example, some kid just lost or
ruined our newest, or only, book on something.  I don't have to
wait a year to replace it.

7. Timely items - things you want to get as soon as they're
published.  For example, I get the new almanacs in the late fall.
If I had to order them in the spring, I'd always be a year
behind.  This can also apply to topic suddenly in the news that
weren't "big" before (like when a war breaks out and you find
your newest book on that country is 10+ years old.)

8. And again - ease of processing.  Yes, I said it twice, but the
convenience of not having to process everything all at once is a
biggie for me.  I have one part-time aide; if I had to process my
entire budget all at once, I either wouldn't have time for
anything else for a month, or new books would sit unused,
waiting for me to get to them, for weeks and weeks.  I like
neither scenario.

9. Peace of mind.  If I don't get something (or even forget to
put it) in one order, I can put it in the next one in a month or so.


Hope this helps!


--
Kathryn Frech, Librarian
Seton Catholic Central H.S.
Binghamton, NY  USA
(lib@stny.rr.com)

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