[LM_NET] Opening New School Library Questions

[Janice Conger <congerjan@GMAIL.COM>]

Dear Collective Brain,
I am in the process of getting bids from 3 vendors for a new 5-6
building library that my district will open in September 2010.  I have
looked at Follett, Baker and Taylor and Brodart.  I have not done a
library opening before and would like your opinion on the service
these 3 companies provide.  If you have used any of these companies
for an opening day collection can you give me some information on what
kind of service they provide and the quality of the product they
deliver.  According to Baker and Taylor they even come and put the
books on the shelves.  According to Follett I have to get volunteers
to do this but they will help me oversee the process.  I have talked
with other librarians in my district and they say Brodart is too new,
Baker and Taylor loose books and it is Follett that provides the level
of service I want.  The other librarians in my district admit that
what I am actually hearing from the companies is different, so you can
see my dilemma.  Since all companies will ultimately charge about the
same, the difference in my mind is service.  What kind of service did
you get in opening a new library?  After the opening did you continue
using that vendor?  How did you come up with your core collection-
what kind of help did you get from the vendor?  What about for other
library products like: book tape, book carts, stools, what company did
you use?  This is how I am spending my winter break and I would
appreciate any help you can provide.

Janice Conger
Librarian
Arrowhead Elementary, Collegeville, PA
congerjan@gmail.com
:-)

"They are good at learning how to play the technology.  They need us
to help them work the information. "
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