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You don't have to order every subscription- just the ones you want. I've = used them for over 15 years and been very pleased. The cost of the individual = books is much cheaper than most of the jobbers. You get the most current books = as they are published. I hjave 5 subsciptions. They are great books but they are not library bound. Also, I get too = much joy out of picking my own books. Hi- I am in a grade 4-6 building and I have used it for 3 years. I only = pick 2 or 3 categories and get two books per category. The cost this year = was about $550. I like it for the most part, rarely disappointed and some = choices are ones I might not have picked, but it gets me out of my rut and = that can be good. All are excellant quality. And I love getting = deliveries on a regular basis. Hope it helps used Junior Library Guild for one year. And like you, I did not like = that they picked out books for me. I asked for certain levels and stipulated that we need books that are appropriate for elementary students. (Many of the books we received were not appropriate for our school - more for = middle school and up.) It was a hassle to have to send the books back. So, I'm not using them this year. Otherwise, I am sure they are a fine company, = but I like knowing what I'm getting. Plus, I like to have the MARC disk and labels. =20 have subscribed to Jr. Library Guild in my former elementary school = and=20 have absolutely loved the selections. They were great, and many ended = up=20 winning awards. I liked them so well that I am today sending in a PO for = a=20 subscription for the middle/high school I'm in now. You can subscribe = to=20 fewer levels if you want to test the waters first, but you'll have to=20 purchase AR tests from Renaissance if you choose this route and are = using=20 AR. For example, you could only order the K Group, P Group, E Group, = etc.=20 rather that the package elementary selection. I highly recommend the service and believe you'll be well pleased with = the=20 selections. I have used Jr Lib Guild for years. THey have access to all of the expensive ordering sources that I cannot justify to myself from my lib budget or buy from my pocket. I have consistently loved their selections and the teachers and students do, too! I have done this for the first time this year---and I have a great budget. The reason I decided to do it was because I reviewed their latest = selections and found that many were the same titles that I had chosen after HOURS of reviewing several journals and professional resources. In addition, I = also found that many that were selected and sent were also later award-winning novels that I was glad to have available BEFORE they gained their popularity. It is a tough decision and I wrestled with it also, but I feel very confident in what they are choosing...and if you don't like what they have sent, you can always send it back for another choice. Normally, I'm not = big on this idea of someone else selecting, but I still do my reviews and I still read the journals. I will, however, wait some on ordering materials until I have received my JLG orders--because I usually duplicate my purchases! You could try it for a year and if it doesn't live up to your standards, discontinue it. However, I've been happy so far. 've been very pleased with the books - selection and quality. Most of the books end up being award winning books or on some "list" recommending the purchase. If you don't like a book or if you already have a copy you can send it back with no trouble at all. have subscribed to JLG for the past four years. I find it worthwhile=20 because the selections often include books that I would not necessarily = buy,=20 but they are often award winners! You can choose the categories you want- = I=20 only get four. I find the books to be well-bound and I like the sale=20 catalog they send a few times a year where you can purchase past titles = for=20 only $8.50/title. I am satisfied with the service. There had been = some=20 discussion about JLG a few months ago- maybe check the archives. = However,=20 if your budget is very limited, then perhaps this is not the service = for=20 you- I have gotten some titles which are certainly supplementary to a = school=20 library collection. Just choose less than the 10 books per month. I get four right now - the previous librarian got 6, and in my former high school we only got the one at that level. I love getting new books regularly, they are well reviewed and pretty good choices, but I would not want it to be a major part of my budget. I use them but I don't get that many books each month. We have been = pleased with the selection and if you get one you don't want you can send it back. = I think they pay for that. Why don't you try one level and see what you = think? The previous librarian at my school had used a Junior Library Guild=20 subscription as a major part of her collection development. They are = good=20 books but may not be the ones you need most if you have limited funds. = I=20 prefer to make my own choices. You are the second person to recently ask about Jr. Lib Guild on LM NET. I do subscribe and like it very much. The majority of the books seem to end up on recommend lists. Many of the titles were recommended by a recent workshop that I attended of Peggy Sharp. I do not subscribe to all the lists they offer. I also enjoy my monthly box. I actually read every book they send. If I can answer any more specific questions please let me know. The binding quality is a problem with Junior Library Guild. The school that I work in and the school I interned at both use Junior=20 Library Guild. While both schools are satisfied with the selections = sent=20 each month, the librarian I interned with adored the books from JLG and=20 couldn't say enough great things about them. She was always delighted = with=20 the selections and never had reason to return them or discontinue her=20 membership. 'm not sure, but I think there may have been a hit on this question not = too long ago. My library had two subscriptions to JLG when I started four = years ago, and I had the same feeling that you did: why would I let someone else choose my books? I was not intending to renew the subscription. However, when I looked at the books that were sent, I realized that they were quality, reviewed, sometimes award winning books that I would have chosen myself. Not only that, but the price that I was paying for the subscription= was considerably less than the price that I would have spent had I = purchased the books from another vendor. I was so pleased with the books they choose that I increased my subscription to include various reading levels...I = think I subscribe to 10 levels now. I recommend JLG...not necessarily as a form = of collection development, but as a good way to stretch your budget. If you don't want to subscribe to 10 levels, as you indicate in your email, you = can subscribe to one level for the year as a sort of trial. I've been pleased with both their selections and their customer service. I DO -- AND RENEW EVERY YEAR. THE SELECTIONS ARE GREAT. Yes. I have used their service for several years and have been very = pleased. The prices per book are excellent and the selection is amazingly right on target. For example, at the beginning of the Harry Potter frenzy, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was in one month's selection. Very often = the titles that go on to win major book awards are among the selections. The binding is great, the company is so nice to work with. I can recommend Jr. Library Guild without hesitation. Yes. I have used their service for several years and have been very = pleased. The prices per book are excellent and the selection is amazingly right on target. For example, at the beginning of the Harry Potter frenzy, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was in one month's selection. Very often = the titles that go on to win major book awards are among the selections. The binding is great, the company is so nice to work with. I can recommend Jr. Library Guild without hesitation. I have a subscription with Jr. Library Guild and am very satisfied with their choices. It is exciting to see the shipment every month and the = cost is slightly below listings in Follet unless you order Follet bound. We do have a generous budget, so I have plenty of money to make my own choices. One drawback is that the MARC records are not free and are sent only every = 6 months, so those books have to wait until the records arrive. But, one of the MARC disks arrives in the summer, so I have some new books to set out the first day of school. The other arrives in the winter after the bulk of our other orders come are processed. I use these books for read-aloud before the teachers take them all. If you are using AR, the books all become AR books. You can buy the AR = disk from them or custom order as part of your usual order. I have a subscription with Jr. Library Guild and am very satisfied with their choices. It is exciting to see the shipment every month and the = cost is slightly below listings in Follet unless you order Follet bound. We do have a generous budget, so I have plenty of money to make my own choices. One drawback is that the MARC records are not free and are sent only every = 6 months, so those books have to wait until the records arrive. But, one of the MARC disks arrives in the summer, so I have some new books to set out the first day of school. The other arrives in the winter after the bulk of our other orders come are processed. I use these books for read-aloud before the teachers take them all. If you are using AR, the books all become AR books. You can buy the AR = disk from them or custom order as part of your usual order. Kris Cobb Library Media Specialist Riverdale Elem. St. Joe, IN krisc@dke.k12.in.us =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=- All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. 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