RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
materials that are in line with the collection policy, and to keep within the
budget for purchasing materials.
An ‘Orders file’ (a ring-binder file labelled ‘Orders’) should be used to keep
copies of order forms or letters requesting free materials. It should include
separate sections for ‘Purchases’ and ‘Free requests’. Copies of orders should be
filed alphabetically according to the name of the organisation that it is being
ordered from.
A separate card file or ring-binder file labelled ‘Subscriptions’ should be kept
for records of subscriptions to periodicals.
Before ordering from abroad, it is worth checking whether the publisher has a
local representative in the country. Ordering from a country representative will
be easier and will enable payment to be made in local currency.
TIP: Free materials
Some publishers supply materials free to developing countries. Even if
a price is shown, single copies may be available free. If very little
money is available for purchasing materials, it is often worth writing
to the publisher or distributor explaining the situation and requesting
a complimentary (free) copy or subscription. It might also be possible
to obtain a ‘review’ copy, in exchange for placing a review of the
material in a publication. Or it be might be worth offering to field-
test some materials, such as training manuals, with a group of
resource centre users, to find out how useful they are, and feed back
the results to the publisher.
4.5.3 How to place an order
To order a material, either write a letter, using official stationery, or use an
order form – either your own organisation’s form or one from a publisher’s
catalogue. An example of an order form is given in Section 4.8.4.
1. Send your letter or order form. Remember to state what format of material
you are ordering, such as book or audiovisual.
• For a book, give details of author, title, edition, year, publisher, place of
publication, ISBN, and number of copies.
• For an audiovisual, give details of title, producer, year, format, and system.
• For an article in a periodical, give details, author(s) of the article, title of
the periodical, year, volume and page numbers.
• For a subscription to a periodical, give details of title, frequency,
publisher's name and ISSN if known.
If you are ordering several materials, attach a list.
2. After receiving your letter or order form, the supplier will probably send you a
pro-forma invoice, so that your organisation’s accounts department can
arrange payment. If you did not know the price of the materials or postage
SECTION 4: DEVELOPING THE COLLECTION
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