There are many factors that go into the selection of a vendor for materials. This note does not attempt to be comprehensive about the issues taken into account but will highlight some of the important considerations. For domestic material, Columbia has agreed to send orders for current US imprints to our primary domestic vendor. In return, the vendor allows a sizable discount on each title. If a selector has recommended an alternative vendor, that recommendation will be recorded in the notes area of the order record. If the order fails as placed, the order will then be placed with the vendor recommended by the selector. For foreign imprints, the same general instructions are followed substituting the appropriate vendor for the imprint’s country of origin. (A list of countries and vendors used can be found on the TSAD website.)

There are some routine exceptions to the procedures above. Items requested for Reserves or on a Rush basis are not sent to BNA. These orders are sent to Amazon, the publisher, or acquired at a local bookstore. The goal is to acquire the material as rapidly as possible without regard for available discounts. In addition, if the order recommendation comes from Area Studies, Avery, Fine Arts, Media or Music, TSAD uses the suggested vendor.

If you are submitting an order and you know that the title has a limited distribution, is generally out of stock for vendors or is only available from a specific site, please speak with Matt Pavlick or Peter Genga. We will be happy to work with you to acquire the material. The procedures above are just guidelines. If you have information important to the acquisition of an item, please let us know.

As we consider a new vendor, we must find out about the vendor’s business practices, the experiences of other libraries, and other general information. In particular, we are concerned about pre-payment requirements, service charges, and the ability to return material.

If a selector would like to recommend a new vendor, please speak with the Director of TSAD or one of the Department Heads about setting up that relationship.