Most of the Library’s books are purchased from vendors that provide publications from distinct geographic areas. There are three ways these purchases come to us: via approval plans, firm orders, and standing orders.
The main vendors we purchase from are:
ProQuest: North America and UK
Harrassowitz: Germany, Netherlands, and Scandinavia
Amalivre: France
Casalini: Italy, Spain, and Portugal
Howard Karno: Central and South America
East View: East Asia
DK Agencies: South Asia
China Classics: China
WorldWide: smaller North American publications
Please see their respective folders in this Vendors folder of the RC Shared drive for more information.
To access information about vendors, go to the Vendors page in Alma under Acquisitions Infrastructure or conduct a Vendors search.
Contact information for each vendor can be found in the vendor’s account. Communications with vendors should be conducted by or include the Acquisitions Manager and/or Director of Collection Services.
Some vendors have multiple codes for the different types of purchases we make, such as firm orders or approval plans. Each code will have its own vendor profile. Every profile provides access to general information about the purchase plan, import records, purchase order lines, and invoices.
Summary page of a vendor profile
Approval plan purchases comprise the bulk of the library’s acquisitions. We establish an approval plan with a vendor by giving them a budget and purchasing criteria (academic level, subject matter, publication date, etc). These books are shipped to us automatically.
We have approval plans established with Harrassowitz, Amalivre, Casalini, Karno, WorldWide, and East View.
Firm orders are placed manually with a vendor. Books that do not meet the criteria for being included on approval, but might be appropriate to purchase are collected in lists provided by the vendor. Library staff review these lists and place orders on the vendors’ websites. To avoid duplication, be aware of publications, especially exhibition catalogs, that may be published in multiple countries.
Sometimes a patron will request a specific title. These requests are reviewed by the Director of Collection Services, and approved or declined for purchase.
See below for how to purchase directly from our vendors.
Standing orders are established for a title that has multiple volumes or is an ongoing series. There are two types of standing orders: analyzed and non-analyzed.
Analyzed standing orders are books that have distinct subject matter, but share a series title. The series title has a suppressed bibliographic record and associated POL, and each new volume receives its own bibliographic record and call number.
Non-analyzed standing orders share a bibliographic record, to which new items are added as they arrive. An example would be a 10 volume series, where each volume is published several years apart.
Sometimes an order that we have placed cannot be fulfilled by the vendor. The vendor will notify us of the cancellation when it occurs. The Director of Technical Services will assess whether or not the title should be purchased elsewhere, based on price, need, and availability.
If a vendor sends us a book that we already have, write them an email asking if it can be returned for a refund or credit. Include the number of the invoice it was shipped with and where it was previously received from. If they approve the return, include a return form and a copy of the invoice with it. Follow the instructions on the shipping page. If a book can’t be returned, ensure the POL reflects that accordingly and place the book on the discard shelves.
Most purchases are made using the Acquisition Manager’s museum-issued PCard. Others are paid via the invoicing process through the museum’s Accounting Department.
All Harrassowitz, WorldWide, China Classics, and Karno invoices are paid via the invoicing process. The rest of the major vendors are paid via credit card.
For more detailed information on paying for purchases, see the Paying Invoices page.
Sometimes a title cannot be purchased from one of our established vendors. One-off purchases or a small batch of books do not require the creation of a new vendor in Alma. Instead, we use the “Other Vendor” (oth) material supplier and note where it was purchased from in the purchase order line (example: “This order from Vogue.com”).
Credit card is the preferred method of payment, and the Acquisition Manager’s PCard should be used. If the order cannot be paid by credit card, it must be paid by the museum’s invoicing process. A vendor must be registered with the museum in order to be paid by the invoicing process. Send an email to Gaylene Burger (gburger@artic.edu, as of 11/30/23) or another Controller from Accounting with the vendor’s contact information. They will reach out to the vendor with the paperwork to establish their account with the museum.
Some Other Vendors to Consider
Buddy - store in the Chicago Cultural Center that carries local artists' work
Photo-eye - good for out of print photography, small press, and gallery titles
Printed Matter - Fine art bookstore in New York
Quimbys - store that provides titles via consignment, underground, alternative, and local press/publishers/artists
Type Punch Matrix - fine and used books based in Washington D.C.
Used or Out of Print Vendors
AddALL Used and Out of Print Search
Additional Vendors for Asian Publications
China International Book Trading Co. (CIBTC)
Detailed instructions on how to place firm orders directly with vendors can be found in the following documents:
Before placing any order, be sure to familiarize yourself with the selecting guidelines. Record the orders you place in the current fiscal years’ tracking document found in the Collection Development Google Drive.
