LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Wow! Thanks for the great response to your favorite book vendors! There were
so many replies that I decided to do a tally and just post a few. : )
By far Follett was the favorite, followed by Bound To Stay Bound,
Permabound, and Baker & Taylor.
............................................................................
.
I use Follett, because I can use their online
ordering, and not keep any catalogs around. That way
it also always reflects their true inventory. You can
see them online at http://www.titlewave.com They also
have very good customer service & a quick turn around
time. I don't order books from anyone else.
............................................................................
........
I have found 2 that work really well with me. Follett and PermaBound are
both great to work with as far as books. I have ordered from Demco and
Upstart for promotional supplies and also have ordered reference materials
from World Almanac. All of these have been super! They ship fast and
follow up quickly to make any adjustments, etc. I think both Follett and
Perma Bound offer a lifetime guarantee for the books....if they fall apart
or something, they will replace it free.
............................................................................
.........
While I don't know for sure which vendors are the best, I
think you probably could not go wrong with Follett, H.
W. Wilson, or Baker and Taylor. Gale Group is another
vendor that I've heard is very reliable, as is Bound
to Stay Bound.
............................................................................
...........
Top 2 favorites
PermaBound
World Almanac
............................................................................
...........
Forget the catalogs! Read the review in School Library Journal, and any
other journal that has reviews, and mark the titles that look good and that
you need to fill the gaps. Collect lists of titles from teachers. Go on
the web and look at the lists posted by national education organizations
such as social studies, math, reading. With all desired titles in hand,
visit the web site for Follett, titlewave.com, and Bound-to-Stay-Bound,
btsb.com, and any other big jobber you may like. Make up your list there,
print it out, and send it in with your purchase order. Follett is very
nearly a Books in Print for school library titles and will have most titles
that are listed in publishers' catalogs.
............................................................................
.............................................
I have had great success with Baker and Taylor -- they have great discounts
and you can put your order together online. The online order procedure is a
little awkward, it is getting better.
............................................................................
...................................
Demco for furniture, equipment and supplies. They are simply the best.
Follett Titlewave CD -- an amazing resource even if you don't buy ALL of
your books from them.
World Almanac Education for reference.
Teacher's Video for video of course.
But check with your district supervisor. You will find that they have a
list of preferred vendors whose catalogs you should keep one copy. You
have probably figured out that you get copies addressed to the last six
librarians by name as well as Librarian, Media Specialist, and Library
Media Specialist.
...........................................
Bound To Stay Bound--superior bindings
Follett--excellent customer service rep (Claudia Reed)
(tie)Quill--fast service, Library Store--good selection
...................
I pretty much toss catalogs unless they have good
cut-out possibilities for posters/displays. I order
on-line from Follett and Amazon.com for books, Library
Video Company for AV.
I keep the promotional catalogs - ALA, Demco, Upstart
- as much for the ideas as the products.
...................
PermaBound--Guaranteed replacement if the binding comes apart. Worth the
extra $.
Perfection Learning--Good selections.
......................
Bound to stay bound is my first choice. The books are rebound and are built
to last. You can search and order online, and the service is very good.
Look also at Rockbottom books and some of the other catalogs that sell sets
(usually six in a set) of nonfiction books. These are quite popular, are
well bound, and with a third grade reading level, are well suited to a
large segment of elementary patrons. They usually include captions, a table
of contents and an index, which make them useful for beginning reference
skills. Be leery of DK and Scholastic, which are generally poorly bound.
Most of these titles are also available from Bound to Stay Bound. They
completely rebind the books, and pricing is pretty close to what you would
pay otherwise. Any additional cost is well worth it.
................................
I always buy from Follett. Their online searchable catalog is great...it
can be accessed at www.titlewave.com and it is free to set up an account.
Their customer service is great too.
................
I do 75% of my orders through Follett, Bound to Stay Bound gets bulk of
rest, World Almanac and Crabtree gets a chunk, and the local B&N or
Powells (20minutes away) just about get the rest. I may order some from
Library Unlimited or another specialty source occasionally.
BtSB and PermaBound have a lot of similarities, good idea to check which
has best service or special feature YOU need. The rep in the area (we
have excellent one) can make all the difference in who you want to use.
Help rush order through, point out special collections or services,
booklists, and other help.
I tried, for 3-4 years to file every catalog. Then started filing only
the 5-7 I really used and moved them to another drawer. The next year I
tossed 2 boxes of 3-4 year old catalogs. Now I just stand over the
recycle bin with the daily mail. You can also grab the URL of their
site, bookmark it, and be able to get most any info.
Books that are well reviewed are available from any major jobber (99% of
the time, anyway) if there is a 'must have' that isn't, you can almost
always find their website or an 800 #.
...............................
Number One jobber Follett
Number Two jobber Bound to Stay Bound
For paperbacks: Booksource
Never never order from Baker and Taylor low fulfillment rate, many items
uncataloged, etc. etc.
I have heard good things about Macklin (?)
.....................
Follett--great cataloging and large selection--easy to use On-line
ordering--good reviews
Bound to Stay Bound--I like their bindings and they are guanteed for
life--good on-line ordering
I do most of my purchasing with these two and I don't have a third I would
recommend as strongly as these.
....................
I try to use Follett for all my books. They have a quick turnaround time and
a good fill rate. When I have had rare problems with a wrong book or damaged
book, they have replaced books promptly with no quibbles.
But the best thing about Follett is their Titlewave ordering system. By
registering on their internet site you can search easily for titles and
build your order lists up over time. You can create several different lists,
edit them, indicate highest priority books, and get your list printed out
sorted by author, or title, or dewey number...pretty fantastic compared with
keeping your own database of books to purchase.
They also print annually two great posters - one of Newbury winners, one of
Caldecott winners.
.....................
I like Perma-Bound, but it is partly because their local sales rep
is so good. Don't know what yours is like. Am pleased with their service,
though, and I like the bindings.
Next would be Follett, partly because I can get books from them
that I can't get from Perma-Bound, especially non-fiction. But I don't like
their bindings much. Not enough library bindings, and trade bindings just
won't hold up.
............................
Just stand at the trash can when you sort mail....that's where lots of my
catalogs now go!! I save the catalogs and order from Follett, sometimes
from
PermaBound and Story House. I'd save the catalogs from World Almanac
Education
and maybe National Geographic. Just don't feel bad about throwing them
out..they take up valuable space!
I've found it easier to have a relationship with only a handful of vendors.
Find ones you can trust who can do your cataloging correctly and stick with
them.
.....................................
Throw them all out except Follett, Permabound, and Bound-to-Stay Bound! You
might also keep a few regional catalogs such as Eakin Press and
Hendrick-Long.
.................................
I flag pages from the individual publisher's catalogs, then I put in a major
order with Follett. I used Baker & Taylor in my last job, but find
Follett's service, cataloguing and fill rate better. It is overwhelming,
and VERY time-consuming until you become familiar with the publishers and
which ones tend to carry things that fit your needs. Good luck!
...................................
I'm relatively "new" also, so I know how you feel! I really like Follett.
My sales rep is terrific and doesn't mind that I'm from a small parochial
school with a limited budget. Their services are great - "Titlewave" has
online ordering, wish list prep, reviews, book processing, etc.
I usually browse through the other catalogs to see if anything "catches my
eye", but most of the time, go back and order it through Follett.
..............................
I use Follett almost exclusively. Convenience is the primary reason.
......................
Start by visiting Follet's Titlewave
(<http://www.titlewave.com>) and getting an account there
(free; no strings). Then you can search by title, author,
grade level, reading level, etc. They let you build lists and
keep them safe for you on their server and when you're
ready to order your list of books, they even walk you
through that. I don't know what I did before Titlewave.
Consider World Almanac too.
If you are automated, look for a company that will supply
you MARC record disks free or inexpensively.
Find out if prospective companies offer you discounts
because you belong to a buying cooperative, a state buying
program, etc.
For fiction, Titlewave of course, but consider Bound to Stay
Bound and/or Permabound for a source of less expensive
books: they hard-bind paperbacks and guarantee them for
life. Cheaper than hardcover, more expensive than
paperback, but with a lifetime guarantee. Well worth it.
....................
#1 Baker and Taylor. Always try to roder from vendors
rather than directly from publishers. I have had tons
of problems with Follett and would NOT use them again!
..................
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors:
http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
LM_NET
Mailing List Home