Help Us Stock the Library! A How-To Guide
The Wake County Public Libraries (WCPL) are a valuable community resource. They have books, programs, and databases so that people of all ages can get information on important topics.
Recently, Jewish community members have contacted our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) with concerns about a lack of books on Jewish and pro-Israel topics. We shared these concerns with the WCPL administration, which led to a meeting in between the JCRC, the Director of the Wake County Libraries, a County Commissioner, and other officials of Wake County.
We learned a lot about how the library makes decisions about which books to order and how many copies to order of each title. WCPL is here to serve our community, but they need to hear from us to know what we want.
That’s where you come in. We need your help to get more Jewish and pro-Israel books on the shelves!
Here are three things you can do TODAY:
#1: Check out books that the library already carries.
Did you know that if a book isn’t checked out in over three years, it’s removed from the system? Show the library how important these books are by checking out the ones they already have. The number of holds on a title helps the library to determine how many copies to have in stock and which locations will carry it.
Here are examples of some titles they recently ordered based on our feedback:
When the Stones Speak by Doron Spielman (1 copy available)
The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies and How to Refute Them with Truth by Alan Dershowitz (Ordered 5 copies)
Letters to my Palestinian Neighbors by Yossi Klein Halevi (3 copies available)
A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel by Allis Radosh and Ronald Radosh (1 copy available)
Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and a Divided Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi (3 copies available)
Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel by Ian Black (3 copies available)
From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman (3 copies available)
#2. Suggest books for the library to purchase.
WCPL has a Collection Development Manager who decides which book titles to add to the library, how many copies, and which individual libraries will receive the copies. The number of copies they order (called the holds to copy ratio) is based on demand, which is determined based on the number of requests for that book.
Any Wake County resident with a library card can suggest a book title for the library to purchase by filling out a Materials Request Form and submitting it. Just follow these steps:
Visit https://catalog.wake.gov/ and log in to your account.
On the left-hand side of the page, click the link for Materials Requests.
Click the button for Submit a New Materials Request.
Fill out the form with information on the book you are suggesting for purchase.
Click the button for “Submit Materials Request.”
Helpful hint: The library will only consider titles that have already been published, and they prefer to publish new and recent titles over old titles.
#3. Check out and request e-books & audiobooks.
Too busy to make a trip to the library? They have a wonderful free app, called Libby that gives you access to all the audiobooks and eBooks available at WCPL, which you can download to your phone or to your Kindle. After you download the app, connect it to the Wake County Public Library. E-books and audio books are much more expensive than hard copies, so they only order these where there is a great demand for the book.
We really want to encourage the Jewish community at large to start placing holds and encourage requests for books and audiobooks that are not currently in the library. By being proactive, we can increase the number of books in the Wake County Public Library system that highlight the richness of Jewish history and traditions and portray Israel in a positive light.