Wyoming libraries that participate in the WSL’s Central Acquisitions Program (CACQ) can save big. We’ve crunched the numbers for FY15 and found that program libraries saved an estimated $728,169 on their purchases, thanks to the vendor discounts the State Library gets though bulk purchasing. Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and Follett all provide an average 40% discount to the program. For other vendors, libraries receive an average discount of 15%.
This does not include savings to local library staff time. CACQ managed and processed more than 6,500 invoices and paid them out of library funds on deposit at the Wyoming State Library. Libraries receive regular reports of their fund activities and balances. In addition, their accounts earn a modest rate of interest.
About 150 libraries of all types – public, academic, school, and special – use CACQ for purchasing. For all of these savings to them, the cost to run the program in FY15 was only $122,362: $93,348 from the State of Wyoming and $29,014 from program participants. This is a net return on investment of $605,807.
For more information on the program, contact Melanie Reedy at melanie.reedy@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5917.
