Section 3

3.7 Ordering

After the selection process when resources have been selected to meet the needs of the collection, or when a request has been received, an order must be placed with a particular supplier.

Before an order can be placed, if the purchase is based on a request, bibliographic verification to establish the correct title, author, etc details must be carried out. The library' catalogue must also be checked to ensure the item is not already held in the collection.

A number of sources can be used for bibliographic verification including other union catalogues like the National Library of Australia catalogue or TALIS.

The order is then prepared with sufficient details to initiate and track the order, including selecting the supplier, finding the funds and issuing claims if necessary.

Methods of ordering are commonly automated, including dispatching the order. Orders may be sent by post, fax, phone or online methods, but details must be filed to enable order tracking. There are also different types of orders, which entail special methods of ordering such as standing orders, blanket orders, standard orders and subscriptions.

It is important that the library establishes the most appropriate supplier for the material it is ordering. Very different suppliers from those supplying normal orders generally handle subscriptions, rare books and government publications.

Problems in ordering

• Cancellations -funds allocated for expenditure but not expended during the financial year usually revert to the general school fund. Therefore it is very important that school libraries carefully monitor outstanding titles when the end of the financial year is approaching. They may choose to cancel the order and re-submit in the new financial year to avoid losing funds, or they may arrange a credit note for the items to be supplied later. Long-standing outstanding orders particularly need to be followed up.
• Failure to publish - sometimes an order is placed with a supplier on the basis of pre-publication information. It can happen that the item is never published. When this occurs, either a credit note is arranged or the order is cancelled. Regular supplier reports are essential to inform of the progress of outstanding orders.
• Out of print material - if a school library has a desiderata file of out of print material that it would like to obtain, it may place this with one or more specialist suppliers. The desiderata file should always be checked as part of the pre-order process as occasionally the items may be requested.
• Grey literature - literature which is not normally available through normal bookselling channels and therefore difficult to identify and obtain such as conference proceedings, annual reports or items that are published in developing countries without an established book trade. Like OOP (out of print) resources, these orders may need to be placed with a particular supplier
• Claim periods - the time during which a supplier will replace a damaged item or supply one that has failed to arrive, varies considerably. It is essential that claims are made in a timely manner and that items received are carefully checked before any marking is done on them.
• Title changes - in the interim between the order being placed and the arrival of the item itself, especially for items that have not been published, titles may have changed. It is important that school library staff are aware of this possibility and check all details carefully for items received against outstanding orders.

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