Several people inquired as to the results of my research into how the Internet
is/has affected institutional acquisitions. Below are some of the key points of
the paper. Also, I will be looking further into this matter, so if anyone still
has acquisition experiences they would like to share, please email me off the
list.
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Many people are now purchasing their books via online dealers. However, they
tend to be known dealers, making the utilization of the internet rather similar
to catalogue purchases. Using the internet is easy, it's fast, and one can now
locate items one would have searched for for years in mere minutes.
One important issue is the standardization of item descriptions online -- it
needs to happen. The description is the buyer's only link to the book, since
s/he is not in a shop handling the item. It is therefore important that the
descriptions become standardized, and if possible, include images.
One respondent replied that the internet as a tool would be generational, and I
agree completely. As our society moves forward technologically, it becomes more
and more key that dealers have their wares available online. I make no comment
on the decline or prosperity of shops -- I myself love to browse bookshops and
smell the books. However, there are few such places near me, and I do much of
my purchasing online. The same can be said of dealers located in the middle of
Nebraska -- all of a sudden, they can reach the market more easily. But, as our
society does become more technologically motivated and dependent, I feel that
the internet will become a highly utilized, and hopefully more specialized,
tool for the next generation of booksellers.
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Thanks again to everyone who contributed. Again, if persons have more
information and experience to offer up, I'd be highly interested.
Cheers,
Ms. Teri Osborn
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