Acquisition of NBM:
Once it is decided that NBM will form a part of the collection of the library, efforts should be made by the librarian to make a planned selection of NBM that would satisfy the differential requirements of all the clients. But, it is not an easy task due to some aspects that are peculiar to NBM. Hence, the librarian should acquire the necessary expertise - i.e., knowledge and skill for identifying various sources of supply and a familiarity with problems hampering acquisition of NBM.
While the general procedure for selection and procurement of books would be applicable to non-book materials also, it must be remembered that since the physical attributes, production and publishing of NBM are different, appropriate modifications should be effected in their acquisition. Unlike books which can be procured through local vendors, NBM producers distribute their own material and consequently there is no equivalent to the book shops in the NBM field.
Further, since NBM are fragile, the publishers insist on the library paying for any material which is damaged during preview. In addition, NBM are not available on approval like books due to i) their fragile nature; and ii) perhaps, more important, due to the dishonesty of some librarians who copy the material and return the original! Another problem in NBM acquisition is the lack of bibliographic control which makes it difficult to the librarian to identify NBM available in the production and distribution agencies. Bibliographic tools for NBM are, perhaps, conspicuous by their absence, or, if they are present, they are very few in number. In other words, there does not seem to be any coherent bibliographic system for NBM. These are merely hundreds of separate publishers' catalogues and lists. Therefore, it may be crucial for librarians wanting to build a NBM collection to establish contact with other librarians, to attend exhibitions and visit suppliers. It may also be useful to read the case studies of libraries in NBM published in the periodical Audio-Visual Librarian.