Funding Allocations

Each academic department is given an annual allocation to purchase books, videos and media materials to support the University’s curriculum.These funds must be expended by the end of each fiscal year. To accomplish this, faculty are asked to submit all requests for materials prior to March 1, after which time remaining funds are pooled and used to purchase orders on hand.

Note: Individual faculty can also request funds to support special or new program areas; contact the library director, Kathleen Gunning, at ext. 4320 for more information.

CHOICE Book Reviews

CHOICE, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries, regularly publishes book reviews of works suitable for college libraries. The summaries are peer reviews of books from various university presses, and can assist in the selection process for new books. Reviews are available in three formats:

• The original monthly journal format
• An individual 3” x 5” card for each review
• A Web site with all reviews since 1988

The library receives reviews in all three formats. On a monthly basis, the acquisitions coordinator sends CHOICE Review cards to each department head for distribution to the faculty - by specialty within their department. To place orders with the library using the CHOICE cards, a faculty member should write his/her name and department on the selected cards and return them to the acquisitions coordinator, Ann Marie Rompolski.

Faculty members who prefer to access these book reviews online at the CHOICE Web site can do so by going to the CHOICE Web site at http://www.cro2.org. Faculty may wish to bookmark the site to:

• Browse the relevant subject sections of Recent Issues
• Search by subject for reviews back to 1988
• Mark selections online
• Email the list of citations to be ordered to the acquisitions coordinator, Ann Marie Rompolski, at: rompolsk@susqu.edu

If all members of a department decide to access CHOICE online and no longer wish to review the card format, please contact the Library and we will cease sending cards to that department.

How to Order Books

Books can be ordered through the acquisitions coordinator Ann Marie Rompolski (x 4411) or rompolsk@susqu.edu. Orders for materials needed for fall semester reserves must be placed by July 1st, and for spring semester reserves by November 15th.

Requests can be submitted by any of the following methods:

• Using the CHOICE Online Review option to email selections
• Placing an electronic request from the library’s web page. Under Request Forms, select Book & Video Orders. Fill out the appropriate form online.
• Submitting a list of items or publisher’s catalog/flyer with items marked
• Emailing requests to the acquisitions coordinator (rompolsk@susqu.edu)
• Returning the CHOICE Review cards (include name & department or special allocation)

Notes about ordering books:

• Bibliographic information for ordering books can be found in the BooksInPrint and WorldCat databases
• Include author, title, publisher and publication date, and if available, the ISBN and price
• If the cost of requests exceeds your department allocation, please prioritize orders
• The status of a book order can be checked in iLink to ascertain whether the order has been placed
• After the book is ordered, you will be notified
• Once the book is cataloged, the call number will appear in the iLink record
• Twice a year, in November and May, you will receive a list of all books, films and CDs purchased at your request in the previous six months

Out of Print Titles

When books are out of print, we will pursue other avenues to secure your request, if you would like us to do so. When this occurs, the acquisitions coordinator will contact you for further direction regarding pursuit of the request.

How to Order DVDs and CDs

Academic departments also receive allocations to purchase DVDs and CDs to support classroom instruction. Requests for DVDs should be made to the acquisitions coordinator. For DVDs, a title, distributor, date and director (if available) are needed. Faculty can submit brochures/flyers of media titles needed. DVD and CD order requests can also be placed electronically from the library’s web page, http://www.susqu.edu/library/request/acq.htm, following the process outlined above for books. VHS format will only be ordered if the title is not available in DVD format.

DVDs and CDs are listed in iLink and can be identified by a title, keyword/subject, or author (director) search.

Locating Multimedia Materials in iLink

A frequently asked question is, “How can I get a complete list of videos owned by the Library?"

1. An SU Video List link has been added to the library’s web page to connect directly to video searching in iLink. Additional breakdowns allow for identifying videos in various languages.
2. A list of music CDs can be accessed from the same link on the library’s web page
3. These links can be found under RESOURCES on the library’s web page.

Reviewing Your Ordered Materials

As an added service, the Library can provide each faculty member with various lists by request:

1. A list of everything you've ordered, either by semester or school year
2. A list of everything you've ordered since 1999 (the year our library system went "live")
3. A list of everything your department has ordered in a given fiscal year

Please do not hesitate to contact the acquisitions coordinator (ext. 4411) or a librarian for ordering assistance at any time.