My name is […]. I sugested to purchase “Modern Organic Synthesis” around two weeks ago, and it is still on oder, even though Duke Book store already has this book.
When do you expect that I can get this book?
Could you explain why it takes long time?
Thank you.
PS – you can email me, if you have any question.
Thank you.
[email address]
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: The appropriate subject librarian has been asked to “rush” catalog this book and you’ll be notified when it’s ready for you. It appears to be in a processing backlog.
The library gets books from intermediate vendors, not directly from the publishers. If the book isn’t ordered “rush,” then it won’t be shipped by itself immediately, but will wait to be included in a large shipment from that vendor, maybe even a week or two or more. Then, the shipments have to be unpacked, then the invoices paid, and the books put in a queue to be cataloged, and then the call number labels need to be applied, and then the books need to be shelved. If the book comes through an automatic approval plan, as did this one, it is also reviewed by subject librarians for appropriateness for our collection. All this takes much longer than the process in a bookstore, especially given staffing and funding shortages at the library that create cataloging backlogs, where the book may sit for several weeks on a shelf. The time in various backlogs depends a lot on issues with the particular book (whether it’s been cataloged already by another library, what language it’s in, whether it has supplemental material such as a CD or map). A softcover book may need to be sent off to a bindery to have a hard binding put on it.
The online “suggest a purchase” form will not guarantee that the book is ordered and cataloged quickly. If you need a book quickly, then you should indicate this on the form or contact one of the subject librarians directly: http://library.duke.edu/about/directory/subject_librarians.html