Case Study

Gumberg Library, Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA

Interview conducted with Paula Toncheff, Order Specialist

“Alibris for Libraries is our second largest vendor for current books that are not available through our primary vendor. When we need quick turnaround we can find almost everything in stock at Alibris. The condition notations and vendor reliability scoring are right on the mark so I am confident I’m going to get what I order.

“We recently completed a water damage replacement project for psychology, philosophy, and phenomenology titles. Alibris found us an entire 24-volume set in excellent condition and at a wonderful price. We’ve started using Alibris for foreign language books and find the turnaround is faster than from individual foreign language vendors, the price is basically the same, and—with Alibris—we get free shipping. We also use Alibris for curriculum books, many of which are hard to find such as children’s story books. Alibris has a big inventory and many of the titles are in new condition.

“Alibris for Libraries has been a godsend for our order process. The ability to use a purchase order at Alibris is a definite selling point since using a credit card involves so much paperwork. Alibris also offers features other online retailers don’t, such as the cancellation email with a link to alternative editions of the title. This saves us the time of having to start the search all over again.

“What I value about Alibris for Libraries are reliability, availability, and price and the customer service is outstanding. I get so many books from Alibris that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. I don’t know what I would do without Alibris.”