What the heck is that-- you ask?
What if you found out there was a way to get your library to buy the Chesterton books you wanted to read?
What if you could influence your library to purchase Chesterton books so that your goofy friends and neighbors would read Chesterton so you could have a decent argument with them?
What if your library had Chesterton on its shelves and the local high school and college kids had the chance to read something worth reading for a change?
Well....you CAN influence your library. You can suggest library purchases. And I'm here to help YOU to help US get more Chesterton into YOUR local library. How?
If your library has a website go to it now and see if you can make purchasing suggestions online. If so, make a suggestion. If not, next time you visit the library ask for a patron request form and then fill it out.
Some tips:
--The form you need to fill out may be called a variety of things: patron request, item request, purchase suggestion, or something similar.
--Sometimes it's easier to ask a main library instead of a suburban or branch library.
--You'll have a better chance of a purchase at a big library than a small one which needs to get rid of books to save room.
--Titles published in the past year are more likely to be purchased. Librarians want their purchases to have a long shelf life and so are weary of older books.
--If you do suggest an older title, make sure to comment that it is a "classic" and will be checked out for years to come.
--Don't give up if you feel that your suggestions are ignored. Your voice will eventually be heard!
--Tell all of your like-minded friends to make purchasing suggestions too. There is power in numbers.
The Three Yahoo Groups:
For Chesterton purchases:GKChestertonLibraryConnection : G.K.ChestertonLibraryConnection
For Catholic purchases:
PopeSaintNicholasV : Catholic Book Lovers Influencing Library Purchasing Decisions
And for Homeschool Book purchases:
HomeschoolLibraryConnection : Homeschoolers Influencing Library Purchasing Decisions
It's easy to join, and I promise you won't get any junk mail or even too much mail. Suggestions go out approximately once a week.
Friday, February 29, 2008
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It works! My library purchased Orthodoxy only a month after I submitted my request.
ReplyDeleteGreat-thanks for letting us know your success story! I hope it encourages others to join up and start making library requests.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone convinced their library to purchase the EWTN series "The Apostle of Common Sense?" Are you limiting the purchase requests to only books?
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw The Apostle of Common Sense (before I knew if I'd like and and couldn't spend $$ on a maybe) I borrowed it from Inter-Library Loan, so I know SOME library near me purchased it.
Purchase requests are NOT limited to books: you can request anything the library buys. That includes books, magazines, reference materials, DVDs, CDRoms, audio books, etc.
If your library doesn't have the Apostle of Common Sense, request it. The fact that YOU want it carries a lot of weight, and your tax dollars support the library, so they want to listen to you.
Good luck, and please join the group!
Thanks Nancy. I have joined the group and requested the DVD at my local library. They usually purchase what I request of them and they have already told me I'll be the first to borrow the DVD.
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful! Now, not only will YOU get to enjoy the DVDs, but many others will as well. In your own way, you are evangelizing! Thanks.