Making a purchase request for the MI collections is a popular and extensively used benefit of membership. Suppose you recently read a book review of a title that you look forward to reading. You check the Library catalog and discover that the book is not held in the collection. Fill this gap by requesting that we acquire the item.
Each month, the Library receives eighty-plus purchase suggestions, mainly for fiction titles and non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects, as well as DVDs, music and audio CDs, e-books and even magazine subscriptions. Most requests cover recently published items, but it is surprising how many requested items are out-of-print with a much older publication date. These older titles are given the same consideration as recently published works. It is fair to say that over 85% of member requests are purchased after being submitted to the librarian who selects materials in the subject area. Evaluating each suggestion means looking at price, expected level of interest to other members, authority of author and publisher, presence of favorable published reviews of item, publication date, and the degree to which the book would duplicate coverage already in the collection or, ideally, fill a hole.
As a courtesy, we don't place a cap on the number of requests a member may make in any given month. The number of purchase requests has increased dramatically since we added a feature whereby members can indicate that they would like us to place a hold on the item when it arrives. If you request a hold on your suggestion, we normally notify you by e-mail when your purchase request has been ordered, processed and is shelved at the 2nd floor Circulation Desk waiting for you to check it out. If your purchase request is declined, we will contact you and explain why. The price may be exorbitant or the content may be too erudite and better suited for an academic library. Otherwise, you can assume that your request will be ordered!
Submit a purchase request by filling in a form accessible from the Institute web homepage and submitting it. Simply display the MI homepage and click ‘Books and More’; then select 'Purchase Suggestion’ to display the webform. The hold option is displayed toward the bottom of the purchase request form; to request that your suggestion be held for you upon arrival, select the 'YES' radio button before clicking 'Submit'. At the same time, we advise you to check that your e-mail address, keyed in on the webform, is up-to-date.
Most materials acquired for the Library are titles reviewed by staff librarians that are featured in Kirkus Reviews, Publishers’ Weekly, Library Journal, The New York Times Book Review, and other newspaper and book review sections of magazines. However, many suggestions submitted by members are titles that have not come to the librarians’ attention. A vital gap may be filled when we order these requests. Members clearly have some input into the Library’s collection development policy. What a great benefit of membership!
