My institution would like to have a library.  How do you start a
library or is it possible to buy one?  This library is a general
library that would have books/reference that appeal to a broad set of
users.

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Clarification of Question by momma-ga on 30 Apr 2003 23:33 PDT

If there are standard places that libararies are listed for sale, can
you pls list these places.  We would also be willing to purchase a
library overseas.

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 30 Apr 2003 23:38 PDT

Hello momma-ga,

What kind of institution are you referring to? Academic, municipal,
corporate, etc.? The more details you can share the better we'll be
able to answer your question. Thanks.

czh

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Clarification of Question by momma-ga on 01 May 2003 09:23 PDT

We are a corporation but are open to buying any kind of library but
would prefer one with a lot of general purpose or scientific
literature.  Would prefer to buy a mass of information for a low
price, around $1-2/book.

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 01 May 2003 15:06 PDT

momma-ga 

Thanks for the clarification, but I'm still mystified as to your
goals. Who will be the targeted users of your library? Why is a
library the best way to meet their information needs? Are you planning
to create a library for your corporation or someone else? Who would
use such a library? employees? the general public? Recent trends show
that companies are eliminating corporate libraries. I don't know where
to begin to try to give you an answer. Please explain further. Thanks.

czh

If I were an institution (hehe) I would prefer to start with brand new
books. Libraries do get them at a discounted rate, don't they? :)

tisme-ga

There are a lot of questions you need to consider. Scientific sources
are typically very expensive and they typically need to be current.
Are you going to want journal literature? What kind of space do you
have? How big a collection do you want? Are you planning on having a
librarian? Are you planning on cataloging your collection so that you
know what you have and so that people can best access it? Who is going
be using your collection?

Hiring a librarian may be the way you'd want to go. Even if you are
thinking short-term, there is considerably more involved in setting up
a library than just buying a lot of books. There are plenty of book
jobbers and ways to purchase materials at a discounted rate, but a
trained librarian would know how to go about that.

Regards,
luciaphile-ga

I agree with luciaphile-ga's approach.  Hire (or designate) the
librarian for this collection, give them a budget to work with, and
let their expertise on acquistions and intimate knowledge of your
company's focus work out the details.

If you are the designated librarian and you are looking for tutorials
and other educational material, you might rephrase your question. 
While a number of Web resources could be compiled, the chances are
that a university program in your area would provide a quicker start
on these skills.

regards, mathtalk-ga