October 2024

Quick Facts

• The Library welcomes purchase suggestions from the public and staff.
• Suggestions for content within Libby should be made using Notify Me Tags (see below) within Libby.
• Patrons and staff can make suggestions for physical materials by logging in to MyMCL/Bibliocommons and using the suggest a purchase module (BiblioSuggest). Two suggestions per month are allowed per BiblioCommons account.
• Staff may also use the Staff Suggest a Purchase form on Commons.
• Holds will not be placed on suggestions. Patrons using BiblioSuggest will be notified of decisions and may place holds on materials purchased at that time.
• Date Limit: In BiblioSuggest, requests for materials published more than 10 years ago will be automatically rejected. The selections team will review those suggestions periodically, but will not notify patrons if they are purchased.

Procedure

There are multiple ways to make suggestions for additions to the library's collection. Please be sure to check in Symphony to see if MCL already owns the title - some items may be shadowed in Symphony and will not show up in the public catalog.

1. My MCL / BiblioSuggest: This is the Suggest a Purchase module in BiblioCommons/My MCL. This is the preferred method to submit suggestions. Patrons can request 2 titles per month through their My MCL account.  Patrons can check the status of their requests within their My MCL accounts. This online form is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. You must be logged into a Bibliocommons account to use this service.  Holds are not placed automatically, but patrons are notified if their suggestion is approved and can visit the catalog to place a hold once available/purchased.
2. Staff Suggest a Purchase form: There is a Google form linked on Commons for staff use.  Staff can suggest titles/authors/subject areas they wish to see in the collection, but can also use the form to submit requests for patrons without My MCL accounts. Please do not include patron contact information or library card numbers when submitting on their behalf. Tech Services will not respond to patron suggestions submitted via the staff form or place the title on hold for the patron.The staff form will use English but staff can fill it out in any language.
3. Paper forms: We are offering paper forms, in English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese for patrons without My MCL accounts. Completed forms should be returned to the Acquisitions office via interoffice mail. Please do not include patron contact information or library card numbers when submitting on their behalf. Tech Services will not respond to patron suggestions submitted via the paper form or place the title on hold for the patron. You can request forms from MarComm here.
4. Libby: Suggestions for purchase for content in Libby should be made using the Notify Me tag (rather than BiblioSuggest). If a title is not available to tag in Libby, then that means it’s not available to purchase (it could be an Amazon exclusive, out of print, never produced in digital format, etc.). There is no limit to the number of tags patrons can place on Libby books. The E-Content Selector reviews tagged English titles each week. The WSYL selectors review tagged WSYL titles monthly.

All purchase decisions are made in accordance with the criteria for selection.

Suggestions may not be added to the collection for many reasons, including:

• Title is out of print. Even if a title is available from an online seller, that does not mean the book is still in print
• Not available to purchase from library vendors. Amazon is not a library vendor.
• Audible exclusives - Amazon does not sell these to libraries
• Scope of material - many items are too specialized, technical, or scholarly for our collection
• Budgetary limitations

FAQ

Why only 2 suggestions per month?

We reduced the number of requests to 2 in Feb, 2023.The previous limit generated a lot of suggestions from a small number of “power users” and required a significant amount of staff time to process as each request must be reviewed individually. We hope this new monthly limit will allow us to hear from a wider variety of patrons.

Why limit suggestions to materials published in the last 10 years?

Older titles are often out of print and not available to purchase from library vendors. Selections staff were reviewing hundreds of suggestions for purchase each month that we weren’t able to buy because they were no longer available. With this change, we are focusing on purchasing new materials, and increasing the possibility of purchasing suggestions, as more recent titles are still available to purchase from our vendors.

The 10 year limit does not apply to the staff suggest a purchase form.

How can patrons get titles if suggestions are denied?

Patrons can also request titles we do not own via Interlibrary Loan. See that page for details about what can and cannot be requested.

What if patrons do not have a My MCL account and do not want to create one? 

While BiblioSuggest is the preferred method for submitted requests, one of our goals with bringing back patron suggestions is to hear from people who may not know they can even ask the library to buy something we don’t own. The paper form might be a more accessible option for patrons with limited or no internet access to submit their suggestions to the library. Staff can also offer to submit suggestions on behalf of patrons, using the staff suggest a purchase form, but if there is limited time to do so, the paper form provides an alternative.