I would like some information on starting a library in Canada. I am
specifically interested in knowing if any companies or publishers that
offer discounts on buying large quanitites of books in bulk. Do
publishers sell books at a discount to libraries? Do I need to deal
with individual publishers or are there central wholesalers I can deal
with?

Would prefer an answer from missy or pinkfreud because I love the
depth of their answers, but if you think you can do as good a job, go
ahead and answer. Tip of $5 for good answer and $10+ for a great
answer guaranteed.

Would prefer an answer from missy or pinkfreud because I love the
depth of their answers, but if they are not available you can try if
you are confident. Tip of $5 for good answer and $10 for a great
answer guarunteed (with detailed info).

My estimated budget for the first purchase is $700 - $1000. This
library would serve a local community of approx 180 people including a
small public school. If you want me to raise the question price to
include the tip now, let me know what you think you can deliver as an
answer and I will do so!

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Clarification of Question by canadiandude-ga on 05 Oct 2003 14:47 PDT

Ignore second paragraph and read third please!

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Clarification of Question by canadiandude-ga on 05 Oct 2003 17:41 PDT

It appears that missy or pink are not available. :( 

Any other good researchers out there who could answer this? Leli, Scriptor... etc.?

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Clarification of Question by canadiandude-ga on 05 Oct 2003 17:42 PDT

I just raised the question price. $5 / $10 tip still applies though!

Hi, canadiandude! I appreciate your mentioning me. This question is
outside my areas of expertise, so I won't attempt to answer it, but I
did find a couple of resources that you might want to look up.

Ingram Library Services specializes in serving libraries:

"Ingram handles Opening Day Collections for libraries of all sizes.
Among the services we offer for these projects are Suggested Titles
for Opening Day Collections (STOC), our exclusive BookMARC™
cataloging. We can do as much or as little as you need for your
project.

The most authoritative and up-to-date title recommendation program of
its kind, Ingram's Suggested Titles for Opening Day Collections is an
excellent resource to establish a new library, update or expand an
existing collection, or evaluate your current holdings. We can
customize your selection lists based on subjects desired, review
sources, the total dollar amount you wish to spend, and your
preference of hardcover or paperback titles. STOC lists are available
on diskette or as printouts.

Our BookMARC cataloging service gives you the most authoritative
cataloging available. BookMARC includes the entire LC MARC
bibliographic database, plus thousands of original Ingram records.
Also included are LC Name Authority and Subject Authority records and
the latest Library of Congress-recognized author names and subject
headings. We can create original records when there are none, and
catalog to your specifications.

And of course, we have MLS professionals on our cataloging staff, so
we understand the importance of following strict guidelines. Our
Opening Day Collection service extends to storing your order and
shipping it when needed. We can pack orders in general classification
ranges."

http://www.ingramlibrary.com/progserv/ps2000.asp

You may want to check out Book Wholesalers, Inc:

http://www.bwibooks.com/index.php

There are several Google Answers Researchers who are professional
librarians. I hope one of them will be able to provide you with a
satisfying answer.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

Here's another little tidbit.

This article, "Starting a Library from Scratch," may interest you:

http://www.iowalibraryassociation.org/pdf/Clive%20Public%20Library.PDF