Suggest A Purchase FAQs

  • General Questions

    While ISBNs are not a required field, including an ISBN will help Library staff determine the specific title that you are requesting. ISBNs are 13 digits and start with 978, and are typically found on the back cover. You can also find them on publishers' and booksellers' websites.

    Content from specific publishers such as Netflix, Audible and Amazon Prime are not available for libraries. Other publishers, such as Tor, have embargoes that prevent libraries from purchasing copies of new releases. 

    The SDG Library will try to source titles in various formats, but some titles are not available in specific formats (e.g. DVD, large print, audiobook CD). As streaming services become more prevalent, some popular titles are never released on disc.

    Even if some titles appear to be available online for purchase, there are other restrictions that may apply. For example, some DVDs and Blu-rays only allow playback in certain regions of the world.

    If we already own a DVD copy of a title, we will not purchase a Blu-ray copy. SDG Library prioritizes DVD purchases for movies and television series as they are more cost-efficient and more widely playable on various devices. DVDs serve a greater portion of the community.

    Blu-rays are acquired on an as-needed basis (e.g., the title is only released on Blu-ray, or the DVD version is out of print).

    Please do not request future releases by popular authors (e.g., John Grisham, Louise Penny, Nora Roberts). SDG Library will already be purchasing these titles for the collection. If we already have books by these popular authors, you can assume that we will order the next ones.

    For movies, we will already be purchasing blockbuster films to add to our collections. You do not need to submit a Suggest an Item for these titles. Please remember that a film's theatrical release date is different from the DVD release date.

    Films that are shown at festivals can take anywhere between 1 to 5 years before they are released on DVD for SDG Library to purchase. 

    The Suggest an Item feature and the holds queues in BiblioCommons do not allow us to automatically place customer holds when a suggested item is purchased. There are also many suggestions for the same item, and it would be very time-consuming for library staff to place holds for patrons on items that are purchased.