Thanks to all who sent information. Here are the results.
If you are willing to do a LOT of searching, and split up your
purchasing among several companies, you can probably save a few dollars.
If dollars are tight, that might be a wise use of your time. Saving $10
on a $2500 order, though, doesn't seem like a good thing, though.
At my previous school I had to beg and plead for every dollar I spent.
Only once in the 10 years that I was there was I given a budget. As a
result, I bought only what I had to, and paid as little for it as
possible. That meant that I did original cataloging, using a typewriter,
for everything. Here, I have a budget that is adequate, so I don't spend
several hours trying to save 25 cents.
I use Follett as my primary vendor. Sometimes I can get a book a bit
cheaper from Garrett, but when I add in the processing that Follett
does, I'm generally better off buying from them. You have to look at the
whole picture - price of the book, processing, shipping, fulfillment
rates, customer service, etc.
Periodicals, though, are a different story. I do not use a jobber for
them, but order directly from the publishers. Overall, I'm getting my
periodicals for about 2/3 (or less) of what it would cost me to use a
jobber for the same titles. Yes, I have to write a few more purchase
orders, but I'm saving so much money that it is worth it. I did check
with the business office, and they are all for saving money this way.
____________________________
A company that I discovered online a few years back is called Booksamillion
(www.booksamillion.com). They are a huge bookstore chain mainly in the West. If
you become a member of their club (for 10.00), you can get books very cheap with
free shipping. The books are typical books with not very good binding but I love
the price and for what I use them for (those always being stolen fiction/nonfiction
books) it works.
_________________________________
Follett is a little more expensive in the long run, but the most reliable, and I've
heard the most reliable cataloging data. Tandem has worked out a lot of kinks
since they were Sagebrush. Their rep, Tuan Nguyen, is in library school, is always
on the inside about books coming out, and just the nicest guy. He's given lots of
free books and things to TLA, and when I've done presentations.
______________________________________
I get my books for the elementary school from BTSB
(Bound to Stay Bound). They will have the best price
once and awhile, but their books last so very long
that I always get my money's worth and much more. I
have I Spy books that have circulated 166, 163, 102,
172 and they cost me 12.91 to 14.15. That's a deal. My
oldest Harry Potters have been out 134, 112, 126 times
at a cost of 16.54 to 22.50. You can't expect
anything like that kind of circulation with a regular
book binding.
________________________________________________
I love MN based Macken for most of the materials I buy; but I also like
Rainbow Books because of their portfolio and the wonderful rep I work with;
along with that the Usborne rep I've been working with is a honey. I chose
not to go with the Capstone rep because he justs drops in and expects me to
drop what I'm doing, others were pushy and with small, small budgets I was
very uncomfortable.
___________________________________________
You simply must try www.mackin.com, a company out of Burnsville, MN. They
give free processing, shipping, handling and clean MARC records. And if
your district, region, etc., has them on you bid list (and they are on the
TCPN), you will get an added discount off the online price. They have two
million titles online and in 78 languages.
Betsy Ruffin
librarian-technologist
Cleburne ISD
Cleburne, TX
betsy.ruffin@cleburne.k12.tx.us
Stephen Abram, vice-president of Micromedia Ltd., Canada's largest electronic
publisher. "But although technology is vastly changing their roles, librarians are
still seen as "trusted agents" and their role as navigators of the Internet will be
critical to everyday life and the future economy."
It is the policy of Cleburne ISD not to discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender or handicap in its school programs, services, or activities.
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