Conventional and internet-based vendors' services : their use and implications for New Zealand academic libraries for monograph acquisitions

Abstract

Libraries have traditionally used vendors to supply materials for their collections, and vendors have provided value-added services to libraries, catering for their special needs. With the increasing use of Internet-based vendor services in many libraries, there is a need to describe how these services are used, and how important they are in the eyes of acquisition librarians. This study surveyed acquisition librarians in New Zealand tertiary libraries about their use of conventional and Internet-based vendors' services for monograph acquisition. The survey result showed that acquisition librarians rated highly the quality of customer services and the speed of supply in the use of vendors' conventional services. Internet-based vendor services are used widely among the libraries surveyed. Librarians rated highly and consistently the standard and reliability of bibliographical information, and they considered the access to vendors' databases important to their work. Other findings included different opinions regarding the use of credit cards, the supply of print catalogues, and the implications of the use of vendors' databases for workflow design, training, and vendor evaluation.