There are several sources of library acquisition, including:
- Vendors and Publishers: Libraries can purchase books, journals, and other materials directly from vendors and publishers. These vendors and publishers may specialize in certain subject areas or formats, such as e-books or audiobooks.
- Interlibrary loan: Libraries can borrow materials from other libraries through interlibrary loan programs. This allows libraries to access materials that they do not own or that are not available through vendors or publishers.
- Donations: Libraries can also acquire materials through donations from individuals, organizations, and other libraries. These donations may be in the form of books, journals, manuscripts, or other types of materials.
- e-resources: Libraries can also acquire electronic resources such as databases, e-books and e-journals. These resources can be accessed online and provide patrons with access to a wide range of information.
- Digital library: Libraries can also acquire digital library collections, which are a set of digital objects that can be stored and shared online. These collections may include books, images, audio, and video files, and provide patrons with access to a wide range of digital resources
- Government agencies: Libraries can also acquire materials from Government agencies such as National library, State Libraries and other government departments.
- Library consortia: Libraries can also acquire materials through a library consortia. Consortia are a group of libraries that band together to purchase materials, such as e-books or databases, at a reduced cost.