Library Purchasing Department
Principles & Standards of Acquisitions Practice
In all acquisitions transactions, a librarian...
- gives first consideration to the objective and policies of his or her institution;
- strives to obtain the maximum value of each dollar of expenditure;
- grants all competing vendors equal consideration insofar as the established policies of his or her library permit, and regards each transaction on its own merits;
- subscribes to and works for honesty, truth and fairness in buying and selling, and denounces all forms and manifestations of bribery;
- declines personal gifts and gratuities;
- uses only by consent original ideas and designs devised by one vendor for competitive purchasing purposes;
- accords a prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions;
- fosters and promotes fair, ethical, and legal trade practices;
- avoids sharp practice;
- strives consistently for knowledge of the publishing and bookselling industries;
- strives to establish practical and efficient methods for the conduct of his or her office;
- counsels and assists fellow librarians in the performance of their duties, whenever occasion permits.
(Developed by the Publisher/Vendor-Library Relations Committee of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Publicly presented June 27, 1994, at the ALA Annual Conference in Miami Beach, during the PVLR program entitled, "Let the Sunshine In: Evaluating Ethics in Publisher/Vendor-Library Relations.")