Indiana: Indianapolis

Yes. I just took a phone call as I was writing this email from a local author. There is a somewhat elaborate process in place. If it is an author that we have not previously purchased from, we require that the first copy be donated for review. This donated copy is not returned, and if it is not added we send it over to our book sale and contact the author to let them know why we declined to add their work. Generally, I am not concerned about the authority and accuracy of the material that gets added this way, since it is usually poetry (we class poetry in non-fiction), or autobiographies/memoirs. I am not an English teacher and I will not be grading for grammar, but there are things that are important for me to see:

1. Strong binding, no staples, no spiral-bound.
2. I would prefer to see the title and author be readable on the spine.
3. When I flip through it I want my brain to tell me that I’m holding a book, and not a bunch of stuff that has been copied and pasted from the internet.

Once an author is in it is generally pretty easy for them to get their next book in – a simple email with a greeting and a notice that their next book is available from Amazon, or them directly, usually suffices.

That said, I have rejected a local author’s travel guide on the basis that the content was unattractively presented and poorly edited.

I have two titles that I have rejected that I keep at my desk, and I use them in presentations that I give to other staff in my library system. One is 33 pages with no title on the spine, and the all of the pages have a gray sidebar because the author left “track changes” mode enabled in their word processing software, and felt that this was a valuable addition to the publication. The other makes paranoid claims about the medical industry, and the editing and writing is very difficult to follow. Librarians see all kinds of stuff.

I think that, overall, the message that I would want to communicate to non-fiction authors that want to self-publish and get their work into libraries is to pick their topic carefully. A couple of years ago Rodale Books put out a book on mushroom foraging that was written by a popular Instagram influencer. Due to health concerns over some of the information presented, the book ended up getting recalled (https://www.today.com/food/instagram-star-cookbook-recalled-over-dangerous-ingredients-t135567). If someone is out there wrapping up their self-published cookbook of foraged recipes, I am sorry but I am not interested. For health and legal information in particular I am going to prioritize authoritative and reputable publishers. I can justify adding your memoir or craft book much more easily.

California: Alameda

Self-publishing is a way for community members to present their ideas in print and audio/visual formats without involving professional publishing and editing firms.

We try to follow the same selection criteria for self-published books as we do for other materials. We give preference to local authors who donate copies of their materials.

Because self-published books often require original cataloging, there are additional staff time and costs associated with integrating them into the collection, and it may take longer for them to appear on our shelves.

While my team and I constantly review book reviews for materials, we also take an interest in local authors and may purchase materials from authors, booksellers, and publishers with local ties. The county has a great program that encourages us to buy from local businesses, especially those that are minority and/or woman owned. This allows us access to books by local authors and whose subject matter may be about the local area.

Massachusetts: Fall River

We are open to circulating small press books, although distribution and library purchasing restrictions can make this difficult. (We can’t simply buy a book with a credit card–all purchases must go through a municipal system, so we must be invoiced first and then send payment.) Therefore, donating the book makes it easier to get it into our collection. We are somewhat open to circulating self-published books, although, as I’m sure you know, the quality of these can vary.

We do have a special collection of books by local authors and we have sometimes worked with local authors who wish to do a reading and sell copies of their books. (We don’t pay for these programs, but our Friends of the Library group will sponsor them so the authors can sell their work.) However, unless the author has a local following OR the book is of local interest, these events often have very few attendees–sometimes only the author, a librarian, and the author’s friends.

Sometimes we have events that include local authors. For example, we have hosted comic-cons and invited local graphic novel creators to showcase their works and give drawing lessons. We’ve also had local children’s authors be guest readers at our weekly preschool storytimes. Obviously, Covid has restricted these activities.

In my other life, I am a fiction writer, and I have presented library programs. I’ve found that the most successful ones are participatory. I specialize in flash fiction (very short stories), and I’ve led writing workshops in this genre for both teens and adults. I also worked with a local library in Rhode Island to coordinate a veterans’ writing group, and I’ve taken part in some successful open mic programs–for example, during National Poetry Month.

Utah: Salt Lake City

I’m open to buying self-published books by any authors, local or otherwise. I treat them with the same criteria as books from larger, traditional presses. It’s always best if the author can provide examples of positive reviews, media coverage, a press kit (if one exists), and a brief statement about the need the book will fill in the library’s collection. Donations are always welcome, but accepting a donation is not a guarantee that the book will circulate in the library. In the event that it doesn’t meet the typical selection criteria outlined above, a donations goes to the library’s bi-annual book sale.

Massachusetts: Boston

We are open to buying small published books, particularly as some genres move to having more independent and self-published authors that promote their titles and connect with readers though social media. In the past we have accepted donations, but due to COVID19 we are not, due to less staff in the building to receive and process donations. All of our ebooks are hosted by a vendor, Overdrive, and we have never been able to accept the donation of digital materials, though Overdrive has expanded relationships with many companies that help independent authors publish ebooks over the last several years.

New Mexico: Santa Fe

We are open to circulating self and small-published books by local authors but they must still adhere to our Collection Development Policy. Material wise, the physical book needs to be sturdy enough to stand up to multiple circulations. The content and writing should be timely and well done. It’s best if it has positive reviews from a national review journal or a local source such as a newspaper or radio show. It will be held to the same standards of circulation as any other title though we do try to be a little more lenient with local topics and authors.

If we can’t buy the book, we will take donations but, again, it will be reviewed for consideration. It will not be automatically added. If we choose not to add, the donated items would be given to our Friends of the Library and made available for sale through their stores or events.

Louisiana: Caddo Parrish

Yes, we are open to circulating self and small-published books by local authors. We are usually only able to purchase these types of books if there is a local tie to our area. If we are unable to purchase a book, we do accept donations. We usually recommend that smaller authors try to be able to sell their books through our larger vendors (Baker & Taylor, Ingram, etc.). That makes it easier for library systems to be able to purchase the materials. 

Maryland: Harford

Harford has a local author collection that was created specifically to support our local authors. These books are available for our customers to borrow. Harford has a Materials Selection Policy that is available on the library website that provides guidelines for purchasing materials. In addition, we occasionally accept book donations and the books must meet the Materials Selection Policy in order to be added to the collection.

Wyoming: Carbon

We are open to circulating self-published and small-publisher titles. The issue there is usually not getting the books themselves, but finding bibliographic records of them so that we can actually put the items in our collection. Self and small published books are often lacking in that kind of a bibliographic record, which makes them hugely time-consuming to add to our catalog compared to a book from a major publisher. They also tend to be poorly bound and do not hold up well to the kind of multiple uses a public library demands.

Minnesota: Carver

We have a local author collection for authors who live within Carver County. If a person in the twin cities writes a book about a local subject, it will likely be reviewed, thus we’ll know about it and buy it.   Sometimes, but rarely, local authors will send us ARCs of their books. We’re a popular library model meaning we purchase mainly based on documented or perceived demand, and rarely do local or privately published authors meet the standard.

Pennsylvania: Adams

We do purchase local books, especially specific to Gettysburg/Civil War as that is our claim to fame but I must mention that these items are bought through Ingram so they must be available on there. I will say that local authors do usually donate a copy but the copy is subject to our normal donation policies for adding it to the collection. Books are reviewed before hosting programming as well with local authors.

Florida: Miami Dade

The Library does not purchase books from individuals. Most of our purchases are made through major book distributors such as Baker & Taylor and Brodart. In addition to providing the actual books, these vendors also provide cataloging and processing services that enable us to get materials into the hands of our patrons much more quickly and efficiently than we have the staffing capacity to handle on our own. We do accept donations, which are then reviewed and added to the collection if appropriate. And, as mentioned earlier, many of the local authors who do presentations at our libraries will often donate copies of their books to the Library.

Rhode Island: North Kingstown

We are very open to circulating small-published books by local authors. Because of the size of our budget, we can’t usually buy such books, but we are always willing to accept donations to add to the collection. For example, one of our more popular books recently has been Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie, who is based in Providence.

Texas: Austin

We are definitely open to circulating items by local authors that meet the criteria set forth in our Collection Development Policy. The Austin Public Library appreciates the thoughtfulness of its customers who donate a variety of print and media materials to the Library. Gift materials are accepted with the understanding that ownership passes to the Library. The Library reserves the right to transfer items to the Library’s bookstore, Recycled Reads, or other suitable agency, and to discard or recycle materials as necessary. Monies accrued from the sale of items not placed in the collection directly benefit the Library.

New York: Queens

Yes, we have always been welcoming of small publishing houses and local authors. We do receive donations all the time from authors for us to evaluate their books to see if it meets our Collection Development policy and are willing to buy multiple titles to meet demand borough-wide or for selected neighborhoods.

Florida: Orange

We have purchased self and small-published books that meet our professional review requirements. We also have a local author circulating collection that includes titles written by local authors that do not have professional reviews and were donated to the library.

North Carolina: Catawba

Our collection development policy states “Evaluation criteria used to add and remove materials from the collection include: public demand; professional reviews; reputation of author or publisher; current or long-term significance; accuracy and timeliness; relationship to existing collection; price, format, condition, and availability.” If it is determined that the self or small published book by a local author met our requirements then we would consider it and we would accept donations.

Arizona: Scottsdale

We have a prominently featured local author collection on display in each of our branches, with all materials freely circulating from branch to branch. We do accept– actually encourage– local authors to donate their books so that we can add them to our collection.

Georgia: Live Oak

Yes, LOPL is open to circulating self and small-published books. However, we will have to weigh the cost of staff time needed to create an original bibliographic record if one doesn’t exist. If we can’t add titles (purchased or donated) to our catalog, another option would be to display the books at one of our largest locations and advertise that on our website.

New Hampshire: Hudson

We are open to self-published books though we make sure there is a place in our collection for it whether we buy it or it’s a donation. We try to make it clear to the patron that we will evaluate the book, but we’re not obligated to add it to our collection. A significant number of self-published materials are unfortunately of low quality and contain mistakes.

Virginia: Arlington

Yes, for local authors with self-published books and small publishers, the books need to match the criteria laid out in our local author policy, but we are definitely open to adding them to our local author collection.

We do not accept donations for the general collection, as all donations to the library go to our Friends group. The Friends of the Arlington Public Library accept book donations for their book sale. Proceeds from the book sale help support the Library’s programming and collections.

Maryland: Carroll

We have a procedure regarding local authors. You can find that information on our website at https://library.carr.org/collections/authors.asp

Because we receive many requests from local authors to add their titles to our collection, we ask them to donate a copy of their book and if the title circulates well, we will consider buying extra copies.

Alabama: Gulf Shores

Yes, I’m open to it. I occasionally buy things that are from local authors and yes, we would take a donation if the author wanted to send one. 

Michigan: Ann Arbor

Fifth Avenue Press is our effort to help authors self-publish, and we do accept donations.