LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Dear Esteemed Group Members,
Within 24 hours of posting my request, many of you came through with
tremendous feedback on your preferences. The librarian who requested this
information was very impressed. Thank you to all of you who responded. As
promised, here is the hit with names deleted.
Cynthia
I recommend them without reservation. I have ordered from them for 15
years. Their product withstands heavy use. Their catalog MARC records are
excellent and service is great. I opened a new library 4 years ago. Of
the 6000+ books received from BTSB, only about 3 had any problem. None
were bound poorly. My only complaint is that I can't get ALL books through
them.
I have never used Bound-to-Stay-Bound but I do use Perma-Bound as often
as I can as their books are very attractive and they are guaranteed
*forever* --- literally :) Something to consider...
I think that BTSB books are superior to books from other vendors. For
the money, they can't be beat!
They are the best - they beat Follett and Econo Clad - I order all my pictur=
e
books and as many of the rest that I can too - they are a wonderful binding,
I've never been disappoited - they print the cover picture right on the
front hard cover, so you do lose a little of the vibrant color, but they als=
o
do ship you the paper covers to do with what you want --
I purchase books from Bound to Stay Bound all of the time. their binding
cannot be beat. The only negative is that some books cannot be bound so
they do not offer them. they guarantee them and I have only sent one
back. We are an elementary school so our books have to be tough. Most
popular ones circulate 40 times in a year.
You do have to send about 25% more titles than needed in a do not exceed
order. Right now I have 4 orders outstanding for a total of $4,000. the
books are attractive in appearance also. If a book cover is available
they will send one.
I do not think you will be sorry ordering from them.
BTSB is very good. Their books are top quality. The only fault I have foun=
d
with them is that their selection isn't as good as PermaBound.
BTSB is a very fine product. Unlike Permabound or Econoclad or others, most
of their books are NOT originally paperbacks with that typical yucky
paperback feel of the pages. The only thing distressing is that if you want
to use the original book jackets, they are slightly too large after the
rebinding process, so it is a challenge to make them fit. Other than that
the books are excellent quality, the service is prompt, and any problems are
handled efficiently and with the philosophy that the customer is always
right (even when we're not!).
We use Bound To Stay Bound Books for our most heavily used titles--Dr.
Seuss, Beverly Cleary, Clifford, I Spy, etc. BSB books are nearly
indestructible (even when in constant circulation to very active
kindergarteners and first graders!) and the cost is very competitive with
library binding and even trade binding. However, BSB does not carry all
in-print titles, although I believe they will make arrangements to re-bind
other books. They do offer full processing as well as MARC records and data
disks and barcodes.
I work in a school in a very "rough" neighborhood where kids have never
taken care of anything. I only order from BTSB because their books are
the only ones that will hold up for several years.
I have used Bound to Stay Bound for several years. I have been very
pleased with the quality and durability of their books. Service has
been fast and the fill rate on orders excellent. Often books available
originally in paperback are priced well below the cost of hardcovers
available from other jobbers, ie. The American Girl and Let's Read and
=46ind Out series.
They are absolutely the best, and indestructible. Great customer service
department. I order exclusively from BTSB! Think you will be pleased.
Bound to Stay Bound Books are great! I regularly get 100 circulations
from those really popular Ames drawing books, Beverly Cleary, etc. In an
elementary library they are a very good decision. The company is also
good to work with.
Bound to Stay Bound is our primary vendor. Their books last much longer
than any other prebound books we have used.
I have used BTST for some time. I love their bindings. They are durable,
attractive, and I think priced reasonable. I use them to order mostly
fiction. It seems like their offerings in non-fiction are not as varied as
other companies. I send them a "Do Not Exceed" order, and can deplete my
budget at the end of the year without losing any significant money.
I use them often and have never had a problem. I especially like
them for heavily-used titles. I don't think I've ever had one fall apart.
I have been using them since 1969 in three different schools. I have
never had a book fall apart that they have sent me.
I don't have any "hard" statistics about Bound-to-Stay-Bound books but havin=
g
worked in public libraries and media centers for the last 20 years, I know
from experiene that the book covers and binding will outlast the wear and te=
ar
on the pages inside. They are very durable bindings and last forever. If y=
ou
want books that will last for a very long time, choose BTSB.
BTSB is quite reliable. Their bindings are the sturdiest I've seen. You
still get book jackets, which can be used on bulletin boards. I especially
recommend buying from them if your order is heavy on "classics"--books you
know will circulate. Some people think it's good to buy in paperback if
you're not sure books will get used. Permabound (reinforced paperbacks) is
a branch of their company, I think.
I find I get better results buying from a school library-oriented company
like BTSB (or Follett) than Baker & Taylor or Brodart.
I have been ordering from BTSB for almost 10 years. I started using
them upon the recommendation of a parent at my first school who was/is a
public librarian and they had good results also. They have been prompt
with orders, accurate in filling them, and the quality is great.
Basically, the only reason I would buy a hardcover book from anyone else
would be if a specific title were requested by a teacher and BTSB didn=92t
happen to carry it. They are usually only a little more expensive, and
occasionally cheaper, than the Perma-Bound type books, but these are
rebound hardcover books instead of paperbacks, so the quality of the
paper is MUCH better. The bindings are also generally sturdier also and
while they do not look exactly like a paperback cover, they usually
resemble the paper cover. Their laminated book jackets, attached to the
books almost never come off, and they are much nicer than the ones from
other vendors that are just plactic covers put on over the dust jacket.
We have tried to laminate a few covers oursleves, on books from other
sources, and have found that they bubble on the shiny paper. The BTSB
lamination is smooth and does not bubble at all.
They are an excellent source in every area, has been my experience.
I have purchased from BTSB for 21 years and in comparison to
=46ollett and Perma, BTSB is the winner.
Very strong bindings and they now print their covers in such a
way that the picture does NOT wear off, a past problem. Plus
they send you the dust jackets.
=46ollett is almost as good but you have to specify No Trade
Bindings each time. Follett does replace any books that come
apart or wear in other ways. I order from both Follett and BTSB.
I order from ASSOCIATED LIBRARIES. 215-476-3200
1-800-219-1071
Also REGENT BOOK CO.
1-800-999-9554
Way back I did order from Bound to Stay bound, but these two seemed to
give excellent service. Why not order a Marc Brown title that gets a lot
of use from both and compare their life span?
I love BTST books. They don't charge shipping and the binding is very
good. They are my preference over any other company.
Hard information? All I have is many years of experience in ordering
from BTSB. I spent 17 years as elementary librarian and during that
time ordered 95% of my books from BTSB. If a book with their binding
wore out, that meant that was the most popular book in the library -
i.e. "Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing" (I'm dating myself.)
As high school librarian for the past 5 years, I've ordered some
material from BTSB, but they don't have a large selection for 11th
and 12th grades in my opinion. The quality of their paper and binding
is better than any other company I've ever used, and their prices are
well in line with other places.
As you can tell, I've been sold for years on BTSB
When I was in an elementary library, BTSB was my favorite
jobber - no errors in Marc records, great fulfillment rate,
super customer service, very few book repairs due to the
durability of their bindings - all in all, an elementary
librarian's dream come true! If I had to order a new core
collection, I would definitely go with BTSB!
I cannot give you positive stats, but I use Bound to Stay Bound Books in our
library. We do not have a budget for rebinding books. With the exception o=
f
Books from our bookfair, special order books for teacher requests, and some
reference books, we order exclusively from BTSB. The books last through
at least 100+ checkouts. I will have to rebind those books from other
sources before I have to bind a BTSB book.
This is opinion only--I recently received a few BTSB books. The paper is
nice, quality, white paper unlike PermaBound which sometimes sends out the
easily yellowed type of paper in a nice binding. The BTSB quarantee if the
same as PermaBound. I would be tempted to go with BTSB as an experiment
for a year myself.
BUT I personally think the most important reason to chose a vendor is the
personal service that the sales rep gives YOU. My rep for Follett will
walk on water for me. He double checks areas where I regularly make
mistakes, he sends me exchange books if the company makes a mistake, he
also sends me promotional stuff--calendars, posters, notecards, he will
install the CD-ROM if I can't or don't have time. In other words--look for
the personal qualities not necessarily the quality of the books.
We have purchased Bound-to-Stay-Bound books for well over twenty years. I
HIGHLY recommend them.
The bindings are sturdy and durable. The covers are washable. The corners
and covers don't crack, bend or break as easily if the book is accidently
dropped.
The shelf life of Bound-to-Stay-Bound books outlasts any company I have
purchased from.
I don't know what you mean by "hard" information, but I do the bulk of my
ordering from Bound to Stay Bound. They are very reliable about getting the
titles I need, the books are very durable, and the company is quick and
easy to work with. Also their prices are good.
I order the books with the laminated covers attached and find them to be
very appealing to the children--bright colors and they look new for a very
long time.
I use them for mostly fiction, early readers and picture books. For really
specific nonfiction, I sometimes need to shop around.
My goodness, is this librarian limited to only ordering from one vendor?
I've ordered from BTSB, PermaBound, Follett, Mook & Blanchard, and others
and have found them to all be reliable.
Bound to Stay Bound books are the ONLY books that I would purchase for
my library. They last forever!! I highly recommend them.
Cynthia Schulz, Ph.D.
cschulz@eagle.esd189.wednet.edu
Director of Learning Resources
Northwest Educational Service District 189
Mt. Vernon, Washington
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