Harry IV Hits Libraries

With all the press about midnight book-release parties at bookstores, it was easy to forget last month that libraries, too, were dealing with an unprecedented publishing phenomenon. In fact, they were working overtime to figure out how many copies of "HP4" to order as the media hype increased daily; how to make sure some overeager staff member didn't break the publisher's embargo by opening the boxes before the release date; and how to process and catalog all those books in time to put them in customers' hands on or about the official release date of July 8.

Portland, Oregon's Multnomah County Library received its 305 copies of Goblet on Friday, July 7 (it had 1,155 reserves by July 8). According to Youth Services Coordinator Ellen Fader, the library was able to process the books, deliver them to branches, and get them to customers by noon the next day. "I'm shocked," says Fader of the quick turnaround. "I mean, we're a library."

Librarians say they've never ordered as many copies of a children's book--or in some cases, of any book--as they have of the new Harry Potter. The biggest order may have come from New York Public Library, which bought 950 copies. Brooklyn Public Library placed its first order in March for 120 titles. But as the media frenzy grew, "what we experienced was this feeling like, 'Oh my God, we've got to have enough,'" says Director of Collection Development Barbara Genco. By Goblet's release date, Brooklyn had ordered a total of 485 books.

Still, though libraries tried hard to get the book to customers by July 8, many were foiled by delivery delays. Los Angeles Public Library, which uses wholesaler Baker & Taylor, received none of the 419 copies it ordered in time for the release date, and only got its books several days later. Cuyahoga County (OH) Public Library, which uses Ingram, received its 500 copies on July 10. Others received only partial orders.

John Nelson, president of Kentucky-based BWI (Book Wholesalers Incorporated), says the problem lay with Scholastic, Harry's publisher, which did not ship all its library orders in time. John Mason, Scholastic's director of library marketing, says the publisher simply could not keep up with the demand created by the "growing frenzy" surrounding the book. "We were printing them as fast as we could," says Mason.

Despite the delays, Barbara Barstow, Cuyahoga County's manager of children's services, says customers were thrilled just to get their hands on a copy. "We've had no complaints," Barstow says.--Andrea Glick