REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR RUN FOR PROTECTION - SOME THOUGHTS ON RFPS FROM A LIBRARIAN AND A BOOKSELLER

Increasingly, academic librarians are using the RFP (Request for Propo sal) to assist them in selecting materials vendors. While this has bee n a common practice for integrated library system selection for some t ime, it is Still a relatively new phenomenon in the acquisitions field . The authors, one a library administrator and the other a bookseller review the pros and cons, pitfalls and benefits of using the RFP metho d for purchasing library materials. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd