Live Oak Public Libraries (LOPL) welcomes opportunities to support literary works that are written and/or published locally for addition to the collection when appropriate. Of the many books and other materials published each year, Live Oak Public Libraries is only able to add a small percentage due to physical space, budgetary constraints and limitation of staff time.
LOPL applies the same criteria for the selection of work by a local author as that used for the inclusion of all other materials. Acceptance of a copy of a local author’s work doesn’t guarantee that we will buy additional copies. If LOPL purchases additional copies, the library uses book wholesalers such as Brodart, Baker and Taylor, and Ingram as these vendors provide substantial discounts to public libraries and these discounts allow us to purchase more materials for the entire library system.
The primary criteria for selection are public demand and interest; critical reviews; presentation and readability; the author’s or artist’s reputation and significance; reputation and standing of the publisher; availability of the information or material elsewhere; local or national significance of the author, artist or topic; compatibility of the e-material with our digital platforms; and quality of the physical format.
Selection criteria listed in the Collection Development Policy are carefully applied to ensure that the collection is as relevant and responsive as possible to the community that we serve.
How to Submit Your Work to Live Oak Public Libraries
Send a completed Local Author Submission Request form (see below), and a copy of your published, bound and printed work to:
Live Oak Public LibrariesCollection Management
(Local Author Submission)
2002 Bull Street
Savannah, GA 31401
We will acknowledge receipt of your work within 30 days. You will receive notification regarding our decision within 90 days. We carefully evaluate all new books using the detailed selection criteria in the LOPL Collection Development Policy.
If your work is selected by LOPL, LOPL bears no obligation for marketing an author’s work. Authors are fully responsible for promoting their work.
Local author titles added to the collection will be assessed on a routine basis using the same guidelines that are applied to other materials in the LOPL collection. If circulation dwindles or totally declines, the title may be withdrawn from the collection.
LOPL does NOT accept:
- Text Books
- Self-Published E-books
* Works not accepted for the collection will be donated to community needs.
What You Can Expect from LOPL if Your Book Is Accepted
- Your bound, printed work may be cataloged according to our selection criteria in the PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) system, making it available to the patrons of LOPL as well as all of the PINES Libraries throughout the state.
- Donated Local Author materials are housed at Bull Street Library (Chatham County); Hinesville Library (Liberty County); and Springfield Library (Effingham County). The collection will be shelved alphabetically by the author’s last name.
- Occasionally, LOPL may use your work in displays at the library.
Please complete the attached form in order for your work to be considered for inclusion in the Live Oak Public Libraries collection.
Local Author Submission Request
Please complete a form for EACH submitted work. The request asks for:
- Date
- Name
- Phone
- Mailing Address
- Professional Website
- Title of Work
- ISBN
- Genre of Work
- Intended Audience Age
- Vendor/Publisher Information
- Pricing (including shipping)
Please include:
- Reviews or media coverage your work has received.
- Names and locations of other public libraries circulating your work.