1st Edition

Legal and Ethical Issues in Acquisitions

By Linda S Katz, Bruce Strauch Copyright 1990

    Here is a timely new book on the pressing legal and ethical issues that are faced by librarians on a daily basis. Chapters written by librarians, lawyers, accountants, and business people discuss the concept of acquisitions as a business, address some of the ramifications of the climate in which practicing acquisitions librarians now find themselves, and examine some of the skills that will be required as the acquisitions librarian changes to meet the emerging demands.

    Legal and Ethical Issues in Acquisitions features:

    • an overview of antitrust issues in publishing
    • practical suggestions for communicating with publishers
    • a discussion of the acquisitions librarian’s role in dealing with charitable contributions
    • a look at the issues involved in the purchase of new technologies
    • information on the ethical and fiscal problems associated with the selection of appropriate materials for library collections
    • a view of the business relationship between libraries and booksellers
    • legal advice on the ramifications of a library allowing juveniles access to materials that are inappropriate for their age
    • insider information on subscription vendor service charges and on getting the “best deal”
    • a philosophical look at the problem of weeding books from a library’s collection

    Contents Introduction
    • Current Antitrust Issues in Publishing
    • Acquisitions and the FTC: A Brief Introduction
    • Publisher Advertising: Proposal for a New Era
    • Plain English for Publishers: An Articulation of Billing Problems
    • The Library Perspective on Non-Cash Charitable Contributions
    • Gifts--The Answer to a Problem
    • The Legalities of Acquiring Software for an Academic Library
    • Taking License: Librarians, Publishers, and the New Media
    • Journeymen of the Printing Office
    • Contracts and Ethics in Library Acquisitions: The Expressed and the Implied
    • Obscenity and Juveniles: A Look at Commonwealth vs. American Booksellers
    • Claiming Periodicals: The “Trembling Balance” in the “Feud of Want and Have”
    • Stretching the Acquisitions Budget by Negotiating Subscription Agency Service Charges
    • The Ethics of Library Discard Practices

    Biography

    Katina Strauch, Bruce Strauch