New York PL Debuts Online Bookstore Tied to Barnes & Noble

Staff -- Library Journal, 1/5/1998

Just before Christmas the New York Public Library (NYPL) launched its online bookstore with little fanfare. However, the most intriguing aspect of its debut involves the deal NYPL forged with Barnes & Noble (B&N), in which NYPL online bookstore orders will be funneled to B&N, and, in return, NYPL will receive up to 7 percent of net sales. The agreement is the first of its kind in which a library receives revenue yielded from book transactions over the Internet. According to a NYPL public relations rep, the library is one of 40 charter members of B&N's online affiliates program (and the only nonprofit), in which each of the affiliates has an arrangement resembling NYPL's. At NYPL's online bookstore, the library does have a disclaimer that a portion of the money one spends is contributed to NYPL. The disclaimer does not tell patrons how much the kickback is, nor does the NYPL site disclose any other information about theagreement with B&N.