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Using
e-Bay and PayPal to Supplement the Library Budget
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Melissa
Johnson
Reference Librarian
Abilene Christian University
Brown Library
Becky Estrella
Acquisitions Coordinator
Abilene Christian University
Brown Library |
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At
the Abilene Christian University Library, the budget
was supplemented by selling books on eBay that were duplicates
or had been discarded. In calendar year 2002, the library
made over $900 in book sales. Of that total, $377 was
used to buy lost or missing books using PayPal.
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Online buying at auctions,
such as eBay, has increased in popularity since the company started in 1995.
With over $14 billion in sales last year and no end to buying or selling
in sight, eBay and other online auctions have caught the eye of several libraries
around the country. The Margaret and Herman Brown Library at Abilene Christian
University is no exception. Last year, Melissa Johnson, Reference Librarian
and Becky Estrella, Acquisitions Coordinator, with encouragement from Marsha
Harper, library director, jumped into the eBay selling phenomena to supplement
the library budget. Books that were duplicates or discarded from the collection
were assessed for value and interest and sold on eBay. Buyers were given
the option to pay with checks, money orders or with PayPal, an online payment
service. When the checks and money orders were received they were put in
the library Book Sale fund. The payments made with PayPal were used to buy
lost or missing books from online book services such as Abebooks, ILAB (International
League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and other booksellers that offer payment
through the PayPal service. In calendar year 2002, book sales from our collection
of discarded or duplicate books totaled over $900. Of that total, $377 was
used to buy lost or missing books, $300 was used to buy a digital camera,
and the rest was put in the library Book Sale fund, which is used to supplement
other library expenses. We have continued the process in 2003, and have made
over $130 in this calendar year so far, with no purchases for lost or missing
books.
The process of selling books on eBay and using PayPal has been a learning
experience for everyone involved. Overall the experience has been a good one,
and anything to supplement the library budget in these times when most libraries
are struggling helpful. The learning objectives for this presentation will
be for the participants to assess their collection development policy to see
if selling on eBay and using PayPal funds is appropriate for their library
and budget, for the participants to get an overview of selecting appropriate
materials to sell on eBay, the steps involved to get started on eBay and PayPal,
and the lessons learned from the experience--what to avoid, what to expect
and what not to expect. A greater understanding of eBay, PayPal and optimizing
their services to supplement the library budget will be the goal of the presentation
for the participants. |
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