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Report regarding a resolution authorizing a one-year extension of purchase agreements with distributors Baker & Taylor, LLC and Brodart Co. to supply library books and audiovisual materials and services. (Adam Elsholz, Assistant Library Director)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing a one-year extension of purchase agreements with distributors Baker & Taylor, LLC and Brodart Co. to supply library books and audiovisual materials, and provide services including processing, cataloging, and collection development.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Library Department purchases most new items, including books, digital video discs (DVDs), audiobooks, and music compact discs (CDs), for its collections from wholesale distributors who maintain large inventories of titles from many publishers and producers. Obtaining books and media through these distributors offers many advantages over purchasing from individual publishers including:
• Greater discounts over retail prices (up to 43%)
• Larger and more varied inventories to serve the City’s diverse population
• Value-added services, including the physical processing of books and audiovisual items
• Greater use of technologies needed to communicate with library databases and systems including electronic bibliographic materials for the Library’s catalog.
In order to obtain the best pricing from competing distributors, the Library issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Library Materials and Services in November 2022, including processing and cataloging, covering both adult and children’s collections, receiving responses from six vendors. After an evaluation process by a five-member evaluation team that included reference checks from other libraries and software demonstrations, four vendors were rated as qualified to become part of a pool of distributors supplying materials and services to the Library.
Purchase agreements were arranged with Baker & Taylor, LLC and Brodart Co., to supply books and services through June 30, 2025, for a not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 each, with an option for two one-year extensions. The not-to-exceed amounts were sufficient to account for the library’s budgeted dollars for books and audiovisual materials and services as well as any additional grant opportunities, including those supporting the New Main Library’s opening day collections.
By renewing these purchase agreements for one year, as authorized by the initial agreements, Library staff will continue to be able to order materials and services from either of these distributors selected for the pool.
The option to deliver the books and media circulation-ready with physical processing completed (applying RFID tags, barcodes, stickers, and inventory control software) and cataloging information provided by the supplier have allowed us to get our materials to our patrons more quickly.
Updated Terms for Renewal Agreements:
The one-year renewal agreements will run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Each vendor has updated their terms to reflect increased costs of providing materials and services:
Baker & Taylor, LLC has proposed an adjustment of nine cents per book to their existing catalog and processing component prices, increasing from $4.50 to $4.59. The blended price includes all cataloging, all processing components, and project management services.
Brodart, Co. has proposed an adjustment to their existing catalog and processing component prices. Service options include bundled and a la carte processing components. All prices are applied per book as outlined below:
|
Service Options |
Bundled Processing Components |
Old Price (per book) |
New Price (per book) |
|
Starter |
Includes a Full Starter MARC record with associated holding tags and the following Brodart-supplied components: mylar jacket or label protector for books with no dust jacket, linked barcode label, spine label, property label, branch label, Collection labels (YA, Picture, Holiday, Graphic Novel, World Language, New), date stamp, genre label (choose up to 5 genres) and hub label and CD pocket for accompanying materials. |
$2.25 |
$2.43 |
|
Flex |
Includes a Full Flex MARC record with associated holdings tag and the following Brodart-supplied components: mylar jacket or label protector for books with no dust jacket, linked barcode label, spine label, branch label, Collection labels (Easy Reading ABC, Holiday, Graphic Novel, Espanol, Reference, and New), hub label and CD pocket for accompanying material, Alpha letter and Class labels (BB/JP/JE), narrow spine label - trimmed, OCLC Numbers, Graphic Novel volume numbers. Brodart to apply customer-supplied (6) different Holiday and Collection labels. |
$3.40 |
$3.92 |
|
A La Carte Processing Components (Brodart Co.) |
Old Price (per book) |
New Price (per book) |
|
RFID - Brodart - supplied RFID tag applied and programmed with barcode |
$0.70 |
$0.76 |
|
Clear plastic mylar jacket |
$0.60 |
$0.70 |
|
Barcode - Brodart - supplied |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Barcode protector |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Spine label |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Spine label protector |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Date stamp |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Branch ownership label: |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Property label |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Additional spine labels |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
New label |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Hub label |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
Clear CD/DVD pocket |
$0.25 |
$0.27 |
|
3M theft detection strip |
n/a |
$0.59 |
FISCAL IMPACT
Authorizing the extension of purchase agreements with library vendors will continue to provide efficiencies for the Library Department. These agreements do not obligate the City to purchase any minimum amount of goods or services from any vendor. There are sufficient funds in the Library budget to implement this recommendation.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Purchase agreements with library materials distributors Baker & Taylor, LLC and Brodart Co. allow for efficient services that support the development of the library’s collection to make a wide variety of materials available to South San Francisco residents and library cardholders, improving services provided to the community. This will contribute to the City’s Strategic Plan Priority #2: Quality of Life.
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing one-year of extension of purchase agreements with distributors Baker & Taylor, LLC and Brodart Co.to supply library books and audiovisual materials and services, including collection development, cataloging, and processing.
Attachments:
1. Contract Amendment between the City of South San Francisco and Baker & Taylor, LLC
2. Exhibit A - Purchase Agreement between the City of South San Franciso and Baker & Taylor, LLC
3. Exhibit B - Scope of Services - Baker & Taylor, LLC
4. COI - South San Francisco-Baker & Taylor, LLC
5. Contract Amendment between the City of South San Francisco and Brodart Co.
6. Exhibit A - Purchase agreement between the City of South San Francisco and Brodart Co.
7. Exhibit B - Scope of Services - Brodart Co.
8. COI - South San Francisco-Brodart Co.