Software applications for acquisitions have been quite a recent addition to the integrated library system. This assessment of software applications shall be restricted to a medium size academic library with a single branch and a collection of up to one million volumes.
Acquisitions encompasses all aspects of obtaining materials for libraries.
This includes verifying bibliographic information about materials to be ordered, determining that the order will not duplicate materials already in the library, preparing and sending the order, claiming materials not received, and receiving and checking in of materials. In many libraries, serials subscriptions are handled separately from firm orders, such as one time purchases of monographs. Thus this paper shall focus on firm orders, and the acquisition of all materials that can be expected to arrive within weeks or months, with the order being completed within the fiscal year. In a comprehensive acquisitions module that is integrated with an automated library system, acquisitions selectors can enter their choices online for verification and can check requests against existing library holdings and outstanding orders. As well, the writing of orders is made more efficient since an existing bibliographic record can be used as the nucleus of a new order.