Brodart Offers GEMS

The unique service for finding exceptional and elusive titles to add to a library's collection.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania - June 5, 2003 - Brodart's Book & Automation division, the premier provider of circulation-ready books to libraries, today announces their new program, GEMS. GEMS newsletter is devoted to exceptional quality found in small press offerings. It will be published quarterly. It will be available in print and (in expanded form) on the web at www.gems.brodart.com.

Librarians scour the publishing world for little-known, overlooked but valuable books. The excellent efforts of many writers, editors and publishers are lost in the huge number of books published every year. Brodart has committed itself to a regular program of alerting librarians to discoveries of such works. The newsletter will feature approximately 200-300 adult/juvenile and fiction/nonfiction titles. It will also feature editorial content such as articles on publishers, authors, and collection development. It has been designed to put the spotlight on exceptional small press titles and will be distributed free to public libraries.

"Books that are both uncommon and excellent add a certain texture to a library's collection that enriches the experience of all patrons," notes David Franklin, vice president of Brodart's Book Division. "GEMS will highlight the works of lesser-known writers, especially from smaller publishers. We hope this will broaden libraries' choices, making their collections richer and more responsive to patrons."

Libraries, not unlike most other book buyers, purchase the vast majority of titles from major publishers. Brodart provides books from over 20,000 different publishers and imprints every year. But 90% of these books are received from fewer than 100 publishers. Only 1% of all books purchased from Brodart by schools and public libraries come from the over 3,000 "small" publishers the company represents.