Faculty may ask the library to order books throughout the year, usually by going through their book order coordinator or by filling out the book order form. The library relies on faculty as their primary selectors of books, though liaison librarians will order books as well to supplement what faculty select.

The Acquisitions Status Viewer (ASV) allows professors, and especially book order coordinators, to keep track of what has been ordered. The ASV indicates whether an item is available, in process, or not yet received. The data can be imported into Microsoft Excel for further manipulation. The ASV provides this information since 2009.

In order to assist faculty in making selections, the library subscribes to an academic book review service called Choice. Four times a year Jessica Dickson (the library’s Acquisitions Coordinator) will email a list of book reviews to your department’s book order coordinator, who should then distribute the reviews to the rest of the faculty.

Select books from the list that you would like the library to order. Then, email your recommendations to your department’s book order coordinator, to Jessica Dickson, and to your department’s liaison librarian. If you prefer to respond in print, please give your selections to your book coordinator, who should forward the list to Jessica Dickson. When making selections, it is helpful to the library if you:

• Clearly mark which titles you want to order
• Indicate if you object to the library obtaining a specific title as an ebook. (The library may otherwise order the title as an ebook if it is available on our current ebook platforms.)
• Rate your selections by priority using the following scale:
  • 1 – essential book – will be ordered immediately
  • 2 – useful book – will be ordered when the budget allows
  • 3 – optional book – will be put on hold until the end of the fiscal year

We recognize that each department and book order coordinator may handle book purchasing differently. So please process orders in a manner that is most efficient for your department within the parameters outlined above.

While we call it "book ordering," faculty may order any non-serial items with departmental "book" funds. That includes DVDs, electronic books, microfilm, etc. Book funds may not be used to purchase an item that has an annual or recurring cost like a journal. Refer to the Journal Ordering page for instruction for ordering journals.

Students and guests may also use this form to suggest a title that we should consider purchasing. Use as many fields below as you can, and leave the rest blank. We are not always able to fulfill your request, but we value your recommendation. If you need access to the requested item, consider borrowing it through MeLCat or Inter-Library Loan.

Direct your questions about book ordering to Katherine Swart or your department’s librarian.

Use this form to expedite the cataloging process after a book has been ordered and received. If you are not sure, check the Acquisitions Status Viewer before proceeding.

Many of you are familiar with the Choice review cards that the library used to distribute to departments. The librarians periodically received faculty feedback that routing these cards through departments was not efficient. In an attempt to streamline the process and take advantage of our online subscription to Choice, we are now distributing the reviews via e-mail and discontinuing the print cards.

Here’s how the new process works:

Four to six times a year your librarian will e-mail each member of your department a list of reviews.You may indicate your selections directly in a reply e-mail, or you may print out the list and mark your selections there. A helpful feature: When you click on the ISBN link, you will be taken to WorldCat. Near the bottom of the WorldCat screen, you can go to Amazon to read reviews. 

If you respond via e-mail, please send the e-mail to your department’s book coordinator, to Jessica Dickson (jessica.dickson@calvin.edu), and to your departmental librarian.   If you prefer to respond in print, please give your selections to your book coordinator, who should forward the list to Jessica Dickson.

Include your “Ordering Priority” so that Jessica Dickson can effectively manage your department’s book budget.

• 1 = Essential book - Order immediately
• 2 = Useful book - Order now if our department’s book budget is healthy. Otherwise, wait until April and order if the department’s book budget is underspent. If the department’s book budget is overspent, the book will be ordered the next fiscal year.
• 3 = Optional book – Wait to order until April. If the department’s book budget is underspent, then order. If the budget is overspent, the book will not be ordered either this fiscal year or next.

If you would like a specialized selection search, apart from the normal broad subjects of Biology, Engineering, etc., please notify your departmental librarian.

As you can see, we are trying to involve liaison librarians more fully in this new process, so that we have a better idea of what professors are ordering (which helps us in our own purchasing decisions). We recognize that each department and book coordinator may handle book purchasing differently. So please process orders in a manner that is most efficient for your department within the parameters outlined above.