Acquisitions Service
The Acquisitions Service is responsible for expanding the Library’s collections by gathering purchase suggestions from users and librarians, managing book series, and handling donations and exchanges.
Journals are managed by the Journals Service.
Suggestions are evaluated, in collaboration with the Collection Management Service, on the basis of their relevance to the
Library’s collection profile, their scholarly authority, and the cost–benefit ratio in the case of particularly expensive publications.
Unless there are specific needs, we do not purchase items already held by libraries in Pisa or in Florence (respectively for requests submitted by users affiliated with Pisa or Florence) or already available in electronic format through SEARCH.
Suggestions are accepted without sending a confirmation to the requester, who will receive a notification only in the following cases:
- if the suggestion is declined
- if the book is already available in the Library
- if the requested title is already available as an ebook
- if the book is available within the Pisa or Florence library networks
- if the item identified differs from the one requested (e.g., publication date, editor, etc.)
- if the purchase cannot be completed
The status of each suggestion can be tracked in the corresponding bibliographic record on SEARCH. Status information appears in the Call number field under “Get it”:
- “in acquisto”: the suggestion has been received and the book has been ordered
- “da catalogare”: the book has arrived and is being catalogued
- “non acquistabile + year”: the book could not be purchased
- “pubblicazione prevista + date”: the book has not yet been published
When the requested publication arrives, the requester will receive a notification. The book will appear on the new acquisitions shelf of the relevant subject area once its status on SEARCH shows “Available at the Library.”
The Acquisitions Service conducts accurate and extensive searches to obtain the requested publications, but not all commercially available items can be purchased. The Library must comply with national regulations and with the administrative and financial policies of the Scuola, including supplier restrictions and accepted payment methods. To ensure correct procedures, the Acquisitions Service works in close collaboration with the Library’s Administrative Office.
Supplies from outside the European Community may involve issues beyond the Library’s control, which can affect delivery times or even prevent completion of the purchase.
Requesting the same book simultaneously via interlibrary loan and as a purchase is not recommended and does not speed up access to the item. Duplicate requests should therefore be avoided. The Acquisitions Service, in collaboration with Interlibrary Services, will assess the most appropriate option and proceed with only one of the two.