Knowledge Base: Library Help

Purchasing, Cataloguing, & Technical Processing for NLLS

After review by the managers at LMC (May 24, 2023), the following guidelines have been adopted to keep turnaround times in cataloging and processing low. They will be reviewed annually to include ongoing changes to industry best practices and changing acquisitions needs.

Purchasing Guidelines

• NLLS staff will not buy A/V formats from the following third party sellers on:
  • Walmart.ca
  • Amazon
  • Best Buy
• NLLS staff will not buy items, in general, that are outside the Cataloguing Guidelines below.

Technical Processing Guidelines:

This refers to changes to our in-house handling and technical processing of materials.

• These services are included in your membership fees for NLLS, and will be done for all items purchased through us:
  • Mactacking soft-cover books valued at $15 or more (e.g., Paperbacks, trade paperbacks)
  • Laminating hardcover books
  • Repackaging audiobooks and DVDs/BluRays (replace box with multi disc cases and sleeves)
  • Adding barcode, spine label and book plate stickers to items

Cataloguing Guidelines: 

Remembering that NLLS members are public libraries and not academic or specialty libraries, the following timelines are drawn from industry best practices.

Books

• Paperbacks (mass market) – 3 years or newer

• Hardcover fiction and trade paperback/softcover fiction – 5 years or newer

• Children’s books – 5 years or newer

• Replacement copies (please identify these as such)

• For nonfiction titles, if there is a newer edition, the older edition will not be accepted (i.e., medical, tax or law books).

• Local histories or books with local interest/importance

• Computer-related topics – 2 years or newer

• Government, science, medical, law - 3 years or newer

• History and literature – 5 years or newer

• Annual travel guides or annual publications – current year only (books like Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Scholastic series can be sent in)

• Cookbooks – 10 years or newer

• Other non-fiction topics (including Biographies and Memoirs) - 10 years or newer

Audiovisual

• Jackets, inserts and cases must be in mint condition and must not have stickers or labels from video stores or other organizations. Outside stickers and labels must be removed or covered.
• NLLS does not catalogue illegal material and will destroy bootleg copies. Indicators of bootleg copies are:
  • Cover artwork may be poor quality,
  • The hub artwork is poor quality or absent,
  • The cover is not the same as the studio release cover,
  • Other languages will be on the cover.

Video Games

• NLLS catalogues PS4-5, Xbox One, WiiU, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo 3DS. NLLS does not supply spare (empty) cases for display.

NLLS will NOT accept the following:

• Damaged items (stained, broken spines, yellowed, torn pages, warped, missing dust jackets or title pages)

• Sound cassettes
• Videocassettes
• CD-ROMS
• MP3s

**These guidelines also apply to local histories or books with local interest/importance; however, our consultants are happy to help libraries with other solutions.

Here is a printable version of this FAQ: