What Caribbean Librarians Want From Caribbean Publishers

Abstract

In this article, the Caribbean library market is defined as the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL). The market includes academic, school, special, national and public libraries serving a linguistically (Dutch, English, French and Spanish) and culturally diverse population of over 40 million people. Each library has a unique profile based on differing levels of funding, information technology/Internet access, professional personnel, and collection development and purchasing distinctions. Common to all the libraries is the difficulty in selecting and purchasing Caribbean-focused materials authored or published by Caribbean people. In order to overcome this difficulty, Caribbean librarians request that publishers provide reviews, synopses, and bibliographies of Caribbean-related materials, publish works that will fill designated gaps in a collection, and stimulate writing on Caribbean biographies and achievements. In a broader sense, Caribbean librarians request that publishers develop better editorial and bibliographic standards, promote legal deposit activity, create awareness of monetary devaluations, customs, and foreign exchange issues, offer marketing and promotional support for individual libraries, and provide prompt and efficient customer service to all Caribbean libraries. Publishers and Caribbean librarians seek to work together to create a mutually beneficial relationship and ultimately better serve the large population of library patrons.