Library Products, Services and Consultants
ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 9
The American Library Association (ALA) is often asked for the names, addresses, and phone numbers of companies that sell products and services to libraries. The ALA does not endorse products or companies. Neither can the ALA refer anyone to a specific company, as this would necessarily preclude naming other companies whose products are as good (or better) than the one named. The resources listed below will help you locate companies best suited to your needs and geographic limitations.
Library Products and Services
- The ALA American Libraries Buyers Guide is a new online
resource, released through ALA's member magazine, American
Libraries, which is designed to help in locating library products
and services, at:
http://www.americanlibrariesbuyersguide.com
The guide can be searched by category or by keyword. The search can be limited by state or narrowed down by proximity to a specific zip code.
Download a free application that makes the directory accessible from your computer desktop.
Use the Request For Information (RFI) page to contact library vendors and suppliers with your questions directly.
Feel free to contact the American Libraries Buyers Guide directly with any questions.
-
The Librarian's Yellow Pages (LYP) is a print catalog that is published every year,
which also appears online, at (both):
http://www.librariansyellowpages.com and http://www.lyponline.com - Listings of products, services, and companies appear as a special supplement to the
August issue of the magazine, Library Journal, called the Gold Book, which can be accessed online, at:
http://goldbook.libraryjournal.com - The Library Resource Guide is a listing of library products and services compiled by Information Today (as a supplement to
its American Library Directory publication). An online version appears at:
http://www.libraryresource.com - Information Today also publishes the magazine, Computers in Libraries, which includes with
its July/August issue an annual "Buyer's Guide," a directory of computer hardware and software suppliers and
services--which is now available on its own web site, at:
http://bg.computersinlibraries.com - A similar "Buyer's Guide" is available via the Information Today magazine for school libraries, Multimedia & Internet@Schools, at:
http://buyersguide.mmischools.com
Library Consultants Lists
The "services" listings in the general guides listed above include entries for individual library consultants. The resources listed below will direct you to consultants best suited to your needs and geographic limitations.Note that inclusion in these lists does not constitute or imply endorsement or certification by either the American Library Association (ALA) or the organization sponsoring the list.
- AIIM Solution Provider Locator
Database of trade members of the Enterprise Content Management Association--which was formerly known as the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), and so still carries the AIIM acronym in description and domain name <http://www.aiim.org>--which is searchable by primary business activities, specific applications/technologies, and the kind of industry served, but also by company name. - AIIP Member Directory
This membership directory has the over 500 members around the world of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) that are available for any kind of information or research task, such as competitive intelligence, database generation, public records searching, news retrieval and analysis, and more. Information provided to visitors of the AIIP directory is for the sole purpose of contacting individual members. - American Libraries ConsultantBase
Library consultants can advertise in the quarterly ConsultantBase section, appearing both online and in print in the June/July issue of the ALA member magazine, American Libraries. - CONSULT Online - Special Libraries Association (SLA)
An online directory of members of SLA, the Special Libraries Association (<http://www.sla.org>), who are library consultants. A search on this database is free and is available to those interested in locating a consultant who may assist, on a normal commercial basis, with such areas as library management, technical services, and subject specialty. The database of member consultants is maintained and made available by the Special Libraries Association. It does not constitute endorsement or support of any listing in the database by Special Libraries Association and SLA assumes no responsibility for the listings in or as a result of the use of this database. CONSULT Online is a database of SLA members who wish to be listed in the consultants database. Current and continuing membership in Special Libraries Association is the requirement for inclusion in this database. -
Directory of Peer Consultants and Speakers (currently down for maintenance, June 2009)
Members from ALA's Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA <http://www.ala.org/ascla>), and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA <http://www.ala.org/rusa>), two divisions of the American Library Association (ALA), and ALA members affiliated with the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS <http://www.ala.org/olos>), have volunteered to share their expertise. They can provide a brief consultation, via phone, correspondence, or e-mail. ASCLA/OLOS members can offer assistance on questions about: serving people with disabilities, outreach services, literacy programs, library services to prisoners, state library services, multitype library cooperative services, and independent librarianship. RUSA members can offer assistance on questions about: any aspect of reference service, collection development, reader's advisory services, genealogical and historic research, business reference, interlibrary loan, digital reference, and the management of reference and user services. It should be noted that ALA is unable to provide financial support to bring a speaker to your program. This Directory is provided as a service to the profession and does not represent an endorsement or recommendation of specific individuals by ASCLA, OLOS, or RUSA. Please refer any questions about this directory to: RUSA at rusa@ala.org. - Library Consultants Directory Online
An online directory for libraries and library consultants. Each consultant provides his/her own directory information including education, professional training, experience, and expertise. Three recent projects are included for each consultant. References are available upon request. The list is searchable by name, expertise, and state. - Consultants in the American Libraries Buyers Guide
- Consultants in the Librarian's Yellow Pages
- Consulting Services in the Library Journal Gold Book
Also see these listings from the resources named above:
Directories by Specialty - Serials Vendors
The Association of Subscription Agents and Intermediaries (ASA, <http://www.subscription-agents.org>) is an international organization open to all companies (including those in the United States) whose main occupation or a substantial part of it is that of a subscription agent, or other organizations interested in the work of the ASA and the subscription industry. See the ASA Members Directory for further assistance.