Redwood Library's Wish List Goes Digital

The may be the oldest lending library in America, but when the financial slide of 2008 hit it hard, the library teamed up with Amazon.com to solve its problems in true 21st century fashion and established an electronic wish list to help build their collection.

“At the end of 2008, the library hosted an annual meeting of US subscription libraries. One of the libraries reported that they had success using an Amazon wish list to build their collection, so we tried it,” Robert Kelly, collections development librarian at Redwood, said. “At the time, we had very little money to spend on books due to the economic crisis.”

Amazon’s wish list is a tool that allows anyone, including organizations, to publish items that they’d like to receive as gifts. Visitors can go to the site and choose whatever they want to contribute, then click a button to send their donation on its way. It’s easy and it’s personal. Using the wish list ensures that the library is getting what it really needs. Only about ten percent of otherwise unsolicited donations find a permanent home at Redwood and it also allows donors to choose what they would most like the library to have.

Redwood’s picks are divided into three lists: non-fiction, fiction, and media. For those who don’t feel confident using the Internet, the library maintains a copy of the lists at the desk and will arrange to buy a copy of whatever item the donor wants. Most of the 40 donations the library has received so far have come from the printed list.

 “People can order directly from the list; but we also encourage members to let us do the ordering for them,” Kelly said. “We try to be a full-service library. If they pick out the title, we’re happy to do the rest. Also, by ordering in-house, we can ensure that the list stays up to date. Since many of the titles on the list are out-of-print and need to be purchased through Amazon Marketplace, we can often find the best price for them.”

Once the library receives the item, it puts a plate on the front of it honoring the donor, unless he or she want to remain anonymous.

Kelly said he regularly adds new items to the list and tries to keep them pared down so they aren’t too overwhelming. The ideal number would be fewer than 100 titles at a time, he said. The most needed topics and genres include U.S. Colonial History, U.S .Art and Architecture, American Biography, and New England and Newport-related titles.

The list hasn’t been advertised much, Kelly admits, but sometimes the Redwood will send out an e-blast and post it on their Facebook page. Those interested can check out the options here.