The publishing world and our vendors are currently experiencing supply chain issues, which may affect shipments of new and reprinted items for Lake Forest Library's collection. We hope the following information addresses your questions, or please feel free to contact us by calling 847.234.0636 or emailing reference@lakeforestlibrary.org. Thank you all for your continued patience and understanding.

What supply chain issues are affecting publishers and libraries?

• Lumber and paper shortage means that there aren't always enough resources to print books.
• Shortage of truck drivers means that shipments aren't being delivered as expected.
• Shortages and closings of overseas ports means that books aren't being shipped out.
• Demand is higher because more people want physical copies of books these days, says Cindy Raiton, president of sales at Bookazine. According to Publishers Weekly, publishers saw print sales jump 18.5% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year. For more details, see qz.com/2059755/book-publishers-warn-of-supply-chain-delays-for-2021-holidays.

Are there other ways for me to access new or reprinted books that have not yet been delivered to the Library?

Lake Forest Library provides access to a wide variety of popular titles in eBook and eAudiobook formats in Libby, CloudLibrary, and Hoopla.

Amazon said the title I am looking for is published already or will be published soon. Why isn't it listed in the Library catalog?  

In some cases, we are unable to get this item because our vendors do not have any stock. Additionally, many titles are having their publication dates delayed due to supply chain disruption. In other cases, we may have already ordered the item, but sometimes an item doesn't appear in the catalog until we actually receive it.

To contact your librarians about a specific item you are interested in, please complete the form at www.lakeforestlibrary.org/find.