Visitors to Quincy Public Library often remark about the space we have and how many materials we own. And they are right! We have a great space with over 100,000 physical materials and even more digital materials. But it does happen that sometimes the one item you're looking for is not in our collection. Let's tackle some of the reasons that might happen.
- We have it, but it's checked out. Sometimes in our catalog, you have to click on the name of the item to see where it is located and sometimes the answer is somebody else got to it first!
-You can still put a hold on this item; it will just have to come from another library, which brings us to point #2. - Several other libraries in our system already have that item. QPL belongs to a group of libraries across Illinois, which is super great for us and for you! It means we can share resources across the state, saving everyone in the group money and space. And you get access to materials from Chicago to Cairo!
- Saving space is important because we only have so much. While our library is pretty spacious, there will never be enough room to hold every book ever published.
- The material is only published in one format. While publishers are expanding their selections, large print and audio materials are still limited.
- The cost prevents us from having multiple digital copies, which is a post in and of itself. Just know that a book which might cost you $20 one time, usually costs the library five times that amount. And some titles have to be repurchased every couple of years or number of checkouts, depending on the purchase agreement.
- We used to have the item, but it has since been removed. Nobody likes the idea of removing books from the shelves, but sometimes books are damaged beyond repair. Sometimes books get lost and we have not had a chance to replace them yet.
- The book is independently published and none of our vendors have it available. Millions of books are published every year, so our purchasing librarians can't possibly know every title that ever gets published. If you find something that you want us to have, you could always fill out our Recommend a Purchase request form to let us know!
- We don't have the item yet. It might be that we have purchased the item, but it is taking a longer than normal time to get to us. One of our big vendors, Baker & Taylor, just closed its doors and cancelled all pending orders; and government budget cuts have affected RAILS, the system we use to get books across the state. Service might have slowed down, but the item is still on the way, we promise!
While we might not be able to fill your request in the moment, trust that we will do everything we can to find a solution. Including, but not limited to, suggesting materials to check out while you wait for the item you want.
Thank you for your patience and thank you for visiting your local public library.
Image credit: Philafrenzy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons