Elsevier welcomes the new year with a brand-new service, designed to make researching and ordering books easier than ever for librarians. With the launch of VirtualELibrary.com, Elsevier is providing an easy-to-use Amazon-style site to help librarians streamline their book acquisitions process. The free site allows librarians to order from either Elsevier or their usual preferred book distributors, so purchasers can take advantage of existing discount arrangements. Orders placed with VirtualELibrary.com can go directly to partnering book distributors selected by librarians during their quick registration process. J.A. Majors will be the first book distributor to be available and others will be coming on board later in the year.

VirtualELibrary.com offers a variety of search options. Librarians may search and sort by subject, author, price and more. Searches can be saved and an alerting service highlights new products coming up which meet selected search criteria. The search alerts can be received daily, weekly or monthly. Alternatively, patrons can catch up on what’s new by looking in “My Searches.”

A simple click on a title of interest brings up a full abstract and a wealth of details only Elsevier can provide on its products. Customers can rate and peer-review all materials offered on the site, as well as read reviews by CHOICE and Doody. Links to additional offerings relating to authors and titles of interest are also available. A “Wish List” area enables librarians to build future orders, rate saved selections by priority and even include personal notes. The Wish List makes it easy to export items to Excel, print them out or add them to the shopping cart — as well as highlight items for colleagues. An entire order history is readily available at “My Orders.”

If ordering directly from Elsevier, librarians may pay using a credit card or an Elsevier account number. It’s possible, for instance, to search for computer books under $150, select items of  interest and pay by credit card — a quick and convenient facility some institutions may prefer. Marketing support such as customizable flyers is also available at VirtualELibrary.com. This marketing material can help libraries promote books purchased via the site and raise visibility of what’s available on their shelves.

“VirtualELibrary.com was built in consultation with librarians,” noted Elsevier Sales Project Manager Joe Martis. “It was developed as a customer service enterprise, and that’s why the system allows librarians to take advantage of purchasing agreements with book distributors at the same time as gaining access to independent reviews of our products.