To the book and film lovers of Amherst,
Next time you search for a book or a film and cannot find it within the Five College Consortium libraries or the Interlibrary Loan System, don’t hesitate to request a purchase from Frost. Your student account will not be charged and the library will purchase the book and/or film on your behalf, as long as the request is within reason. In other words, if you are requesting a book that costs $500, be their guest, but be a guest who has strong reasons to back up your ask. Otherwise, Frost is very lenient about adding books to its collection. This service is made possible by the donations and hearts of generous alumni, many of whom donate money JUST FOR THIS.
Sara Smith, the Arts and Humanities Librarian, pitched the service to my Mellon seminar–Senses in Motion– a research intensive class. She has been working at Frost for four years and helps students move through the research process, from brainstorming and narrowing down topics of interest to combing through the appropriate databases.
She, along with other staff members at the library, purchase thousands of books every year, hoping to satisfy student readers. Sadly, many books get the spotlight at the stack of New Arrivals, and then get shelved onto one of the floors, collecting dust, cycling through their undistinguished fate. Her reasoning seemed sound. If more students used this service, then they would be doing a favor for the librarians by pointing to books that they want to read.
The simple steps are: Click the link, enter the title and author of the book, and you’re all set.
https://www.amherst.edu/library/services/request
You can reach out to Sara Smith at ssmith@amherst.edu. She claims that she will never leave the College because it is the first time her given email address doesn’t include a number. So make use of her time here and learn about the many resources the College has! This is an opportunity unique to students, so please take advantage of it!