What do you sell?
We sell a range of material in LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH (LOTE) to Australian public libraries. A LOTE collection can also be referred to as ‘Community Languages’ by libraries.
The material comes in a range of formats for a variety of age groups – print books, magazines subscriptions, DVDs (Australian classified non-English language movies, and Exempt Non-Fiction DVDs – instructional/cultural in nature, in various languages), music CDs and audiobooks (on CD).
I’m not from a library, can I buy from you?
No, our customers are public/council libraries – we do not sell to members of the general public or other institutions.
What languages can you supply and where do they come from?
We can supply nearly any language you can think of, from A to Z!
See our Services page for a full list of languages we have had experience with. We can very readily supply many European and Asian languages, with material mostly sourced from overseas from the language country of origin.
How do I place an order/what kind of orders do you accept?
Ordering with us is simple! You can send us an email detailing your language interests, give us a call on 02 9572 6942 to discuss your needs, or you can even browse and select items online.
You can use our Selection Profile to outline the languages, budget, age groups, genres, publication date range required, and email us the Selection form – then we can supply you with a comprehensive selection of current, high quality and bestselling materials.
If you would like to submit a language order online, simply create an account through the website so we have your details, add the items of interest to the cart and submit the order to us. We then receive your order request via email, check the availability of items and get in touch with you with an available list and a quote for the items (including the shipping and handling costs). This quote will exclude cataloguing and processing costs, but we work with a Sydney-based cataloguer and can obtain these quotes on your behalf if required.
To proceed with an order and purchase items, we just need written confirmation (this can be in an email) or a Purchase Order number.
We can do Standing Orders and dispatch language shipments throughout the year (dependent on budget), Blanket Plan/Profile Orders, Special Requests (patron-submitted to the library) or tailored orders based on a specific genre or author.
You are free to make the selection of titles yourself or our knowledgeable staff can make the selection, using a library-supplied language profile to choose titles.
We can also check an online library catalogue to avoid duplicates – we do this free of charge!
Why are there no prices on your website?
We tailor each order to an individual library client, so we don’t keep any stock in-house.
When you add items to a cart and submit the order enquiry to us, we need to check the availability and prices with our international suppliers. Then we get in touch with you and provide a list of available titles and a quote for the cost of all items (including the shipping and handling costs). We only go ahead and purchase items from our international vendors once we receive written confirmation from the library client that the quote has been accepted and we can proceed.
This quote will exclude cataloguing and processing costs, but we work with another Sydney-based cataloguer and can obtain these quotes on your behalf if necessary.
Is there a minimum order size or value?
No, there is no minimum order required. We can order just a single book if required (dependent on availability). However, as nearly all items are sourced from international language vendors, larger orders are preferred as it keeps the cost of shipping down (for us, and our library clients).
Is prepayment required?
No, prepayment is not required for book and AV orders.
However, prepayment is required for Magazine Subscription orders.
What payment methods/terms do you accept?
EFT is our preferred method of payment. We supply our bank details on our invoices.
Generally we ask for 14 day payment terms, but we also understand that libraries have their own internal invoicing and payment terms that must be adhered to, so we can also accept 30 day payment terms.
Can an order be cancelled?
Yes, provided that we have not made payment to our international vendors, and that the items have not already shipped to Australia.
Are stock levels shown on your website?
No, the website does not show stock levels of LOTE items.
This is because we don’t keep stock in-house at LOTE Libraries Direct Pty Ltd. Each library order is treated individually and placed according to the specific requirements of a community group. We know that every community’s needs are different and thus the ordering process is tailored to provide the most suitable materials to fit a particular collection.
If a written quote for LOTE material is received (through the website or vial email) am I obliged to go ahead with the order?
No, our title consultancy service is free of charge. If you receive a quote from us and do not agree to the price, we do not proceed with the order.
Do you deliver overseas/internationally?
No, at this point in time LOTE Libraries Direct Pty Ltd does not ship items to overseas/international clients. We ship client’s orders only within Australia.
What postal/shipping methods are used?
We use couriers or Australia Post eParcels for reliable and traceable shipping.
How long does it take for items to be delivered?
This depends on whether the items are catalogued/processed or not.
As a very general guide, uncatalogued items can take around takes 3 – 8 weeks to ship, depending on the language in question and the country it is being shipped from.
For catalogued/processed items, shipping will usually take around 6 – 12 weeks.
These timeframes are a general guide only, and many factors can impact on the delivery of catalogued items (such as the time it takes to procure the items internationally and the shipping time to Australia, quality control carried out by us when the items arrive, and the time it takes to process at the cataloguer).
Rarer or more obscure languages may have longer delivery timeframes.
Do you do refunds/replacements/credit notes?
Yes, we do credit notes if the item received is damaged or unusable, deemed to be our oversight, and if we are advised in a reasonable timeframe (for example, upon receipt at a library we would consider it reasonable to report any defective/damaged items within 2-3 weeks, and certainly before the item goes on the shelf/is borrowed).
We offer credit notes instead of replacement titles, as nearly all items we source have been purchased from overseas and the process of replacing an item is expensive and time consuming.
Do you do cataloguing/processing?
We use a Sydney-based cataloguing business to take care of our library client’s shelf ready needs.
Because we are a full-service supplier, the shelf-ready work is carried out by the cataloguing business we work with, but the invoices for cataloguing and processing can come from LOTE Libraries Direct Pty Ltd. Alternatively, all shelf-ready correspondence (and invoicing) can occur directly between the library client and cataloguer – it’s completely up to the client!