FUN AND PROFIT FOR LIBRARIES

Bob HolleyRural Libraries ConferenceApril 30, 2009

Introduction and Background

Welcome and introductionDemographics of the audienceInterest in buying, selling, or bothAre you worried about theft?Are there other experts in the audience?This PowerPoint will be posted on the

Rural Libraries Conference Web site

How I Became Interested in this Topic

Valuing donations to librariesHigh availability of obscure materialsPerceived decline in prices since

2000

Research Funded by LCATS in 2003Compared buy and sell adds in AB

Bookman’s Weekly (1982 and 1992) with current OP market

95% availability in all four samplesDecline in prices in inflation-adjusted

dollars (-45%)Mostly books in humanities, history,

and social sciencesSame early results in project on

science books

Broader Implications

Possible decline in publisher salesLibrary users will buy their own

books if cheap enough Less wait Can mark up Can buy from home Don’t need to return

Experiences as an OP Book Dealer

I sold around 2000 titles last yearPrices from $.75 to $160I have found rare books at library,

garage, and rummage salesLibrary books sales have been an

excellent source of stock so that giving this talk is against my self interest

Resources for Buying and Selling

The metasearch engineshttp://used.addall.com/http://bookfinder.com

The individual dealers

Advantages of OP Market for Buying

95% availability = almost no distinction between in-print and out-of-print

Retrospective buying for new collecting areas

Repurchasing missing booksLower prices in general

Many 20th century popular books at $5.00 or less including shipping

Advantages of OP Market for Buying (continued)

Lower prices for libraries that can waitPurchase as substitute for ILL

Past use as indication of future use Item available for long-term use “”Buy not borrow” pilot at Wayne State

University

Possible to outsource these purchases

Disadvantages of the OP Market for Buying

Only Alibris consolidates orders for libraries and accepts purchase orders

Strand, Powell’s Books, and Better World Books sell from stock

Other sources list books from multiple vendors

Each purchase is a separate transaction Each purchase is shipped individually

Disadvantages of the OP Market for Buying (continued)

Most often need a credit card or PayPal account—no purchase orders

Issues with condition, non-delivery, and returns

Selling--Book Sales

Public relations and getting people into the library

Types Continuous Frequent on a regular schedule Once or twice a year

Book Sales--Pricing

Trade paperbacks often equal in value to hard covers

Media depends upon conditionLibrary can check potentially

valuable items

Book Sales-Dealers

Ask yourself why you are bothered by your best customers

If you are, some strategies are: Higher prices at the beginning of the

sale Preview for members of the Friends

group Not allowing mobile scanners

Selling on the Internet for Libraries--Advantages

Book sales undervalue many booksIncreased revenue

Selling on the Internet for Libraries--Disadvantages

Time involved in the process May be practical only for libraries with “free”

volunteers Can be complicated Required constant attention though sellers can go

“on vacation”

Removes the books from the communityLoses the publicity value of book salesLocal policies may prohibit such salesStorage space

Using an Intermediary

Two major firms sell materials and give libraries a percentage of the sales

Some restrictions of what they will accept

“Green” disposal of materialsLibrary can identify “valuable”

materials and sell remainder at the book sale

The Two Major Sellers

Both actively seek library partnersBetter World Books

Pays shipping Lower percentage of sales

B-logistics Does not pay shipping Higher percentage of sales Must have ISBN

Where to Sell on the Internet

Ebay—limited selling period, listing fees, payment complexities

Sites with easy of entry for relatively few sales Half.com—more popular materials,

lower prices Amazon.com—higher fees for casual

sellers

Where to Sell on the Internet (continued)

Sites designed for professional sellers and libraries with larger inventories Abebooks Alibris

How to Sell Successfully on the Internet

Good service in all areas to achieve a high feedback rating

Accurate description of conditionPrompt shipping with excellent

packagingDealing with occasional problemsStatement of non-profit status

probably makes little difference

What to Sell—General Considerations

Search possible candidates on the metasearch sites

Higher priced items however the libraries defines this

You might also put them aside for the local book dealer or to send to the intermediaries

Items with a sales recordLibrary discards can be sold but are less

popular

What to Sell—Subject and Format (My Opinions)

Mass market paperbacks—no except perhaps those in pristine

conditionHard cover fiction—no except if rare

or currently in high demandCoffee table books—beautiful but

impossible to sell if available as remainders

What to Sell—Subject and Format (continued)

Children’s books—no in general with some difficult to identify exceptions

Trade paperbacks—many sell well especially those used in college courses

Textbooks—no in not current; sell extremely well if still in use

Religious books--yes

What to Sell—Subject and Format (continued)

University press books—yes if used in courses; otherwise slow movers

Media—depends on format, condition, popularity, and scarcity

Rare books—Amazon, Alibris, or perhaps Ebay

Final Selling Considerations

How to arrange inventory for easy retrieval By format By title, author, or date of listing

Determining when to remove an item from sale

Theft and the OP Market

Shelf books and media now have enough value to be stolen and sold

Library discards are common in the op market though sell for less

Anonymity of salesThief can buy a “discard” stamp

Theft--Identification

Almost all DVD’sMobile scanning servicesSearch ILS from homeGeneral knowledge of the trade

Thefts from the Collection

Many libraries have valuable books on the open shelves

Steal the books from the libraryFalse check outsInterlibrary loanPay replacement cost

Ownership does not transfer

Thefts from the Collection

Employee theft Less security including after hours and

unsecured exits Weed the book to be bought later

Collections expert examine books

Thefts of Gift Books

More valuable on the marketUsually will not be missedRemoved when received or during

pick upSecurity cameras to inhibit theft or

catch thief

Questions

It’s your turn to ask any questions.