Academic Libraries and Firm Order Vendors: What They Want of Each Other

Do academic limericks expect too much of their firm Order vendors? To find out, a number of current and former acquisitions Librarians ere conflicted. They provided opinions and insights regarding: What academics libraries wan1 from their firm order vendors, what acquisitions librarians think firm order vendors want from academic libraries, what vendors think academic libraries want, and what the vendors want from academic libraries. Their answers revealed a complex, changing relationship. Both groups raised issues about levels of expectations, costs of new technology, and the direction in which the academic library-firm order vendor relationship appears to the headed. From these issues, the author concludes acquisitions librarians must become more attuned lo their own needs, better at communicating these needs lo their firm order vendors, more realistic about the costs of meeting these needs, and more aggressive in pursuing standardization of acquisitions processes