HomeALA Library Fact Sheet 9

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

  Mailing Address: Librarian's Yellow Pages, 7823 Stratford Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814
  Telephone: 800-235-9723 or 301-951-0320
  E-Mail: info@lyponline.com




• Listings of products, services, and companies now newly appear as a special supplement to the August issue of the magazine, Library Journal. The inaugural "Gold Book" 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

  Mailing Address: Information Today, Inc., Attn: Customer Service, 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 08055-8750
  Telephone: 800-300-9868 or 609-654-6266
  Web Site: http://www.infotoday.com
  E-Mail: custserv@infotoday.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

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 Solutions 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 function and/or Technology Application Offerings, and also by Company Name.

• AIIP Online Member Directory
  This database of members is maintained and made available by the Association of Independent Information Professionals, Inc. (AIIP). Searching the database is free and available to members and nonmembers interested in locating a consultant who may assist, on a normal commercial basis, with such areas as research, writing, document delivery, information services management, private investigation, and database development. Inclusion in the database does not constitute endorsement or support of any listing in the database by AIIP, and AIIP assumes no responsibility for the listings in or as a result of the use of this database. The AIIP Member Directory is a database of AIIP members who wish to be listed in the publicly-available database. Current and continuing membership in the Association of Independent Information Professionals is required for inclusion in this database.

• American Libraries ConsultantBase
  Library consultants can advertise in the quarterly ConsultantBase section, appearing online, at the web address above, and in print in the January, April, June/July, and October issues of the ALA member magazine, American Libraries.

• CONSULT Online
  http://www.sla.org/consultonline
  An online directory of members of the Special Libraries Association, the SLA (<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.

• Directory of Peer Consultants and Speakers
  https://cs.ala.org/speakers
  Members from the 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.

• LAMA Library Consultants Directory
  This is an annual print-only listing, a hardpaper insert (and so does not appear in the table of contents), that is usually included in the Fall issue of Library Administration & Management (LA&M), the official journal of ALA's Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA, a division of the ALA <http://www.ala.org/lama>). Listings are paid for and provided by the consultants who are included. Contact LAMA at lama@ala.org for more details.

• Library Building Consultants List (LBCL)
  https://cs.ala.org/lbcl/search
  Long published as a print directory by ALA's Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA, a division of the ALA <http://www.ala.org/lama>), the Library Building Consultants List (LBCL) is now an online database only. LBCL offers free limited access to obtain a list of consultant names based on state or specialty, or full searchable access for a fee.

• Library Consultants Directory Online
  http://www.rburgin.com/libraryconsultants
  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.

Directories by Specialty - Serials Vendors

February 2008

For more information on this or other fact sheets, contact the ALA Library Reference Desk by telephone: 800-545-2433, extension 2153; fax: 312-280-3255; e-mail: library@ala.org; or regular mail: ALA Library, American Library Association, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795.