The Library recognizes the literary efforts of local authors and may include their works in the collection when possible. The Library considers local authors to be authors who live within Oklahoma County or counties within our reciprocal card agreement. Local authors wishing to have their work included in the MLS collections must fill out the Local Author Submission form available below.
Local authors may donate one copy of their material for possible inclusion in the Library’s collection. Collection Development Librarians will review the material, but this does not guarantee that it will be added to the collection. Once donated, items become the property of the Library and will not be returned. Items not added to the collection will be sent to the Friends of the Library annual book sale.
For eBooks, local authors can connect directly with Overdrive by clicking here.
Submission Guidelines
- Authors must be residents of Oklahoma County or counties within the Library’s reciprocal card agreement.
- Materials must meet the Selection Criteria in the Collection Development and Management Policy, which can be found here.
- Consistent with the Library’s Core Values, each item shall be considered for inclusion in the general collection based on its own merits and its relation to its intended audience. All additions to the general collection, whether purchased or donated, shall be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Appeal to the interests and needs of individuals in the community
- Current trends and timeliness
- Literary, artistic or graphic presentation
- Reputation or qualifications of the author(s) or creator(s)
- Local demand, interest, impact, or significance
- Accuracy, authenticity, thoroughness, and documentation
- Appropriateness of format(s) for library use
- Materials must be sturdily bound. Picture books and beginning readers must be hardcover to be considered.
- Having a positive review from a major review journal such as Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, etc. is preferred.
- Acceptance of submission does not guarantee that the library will purchase additional copies. If additional copies are purchased, the Library will purchase them from our established vendors.
- Due to the volume of submissions, Library staff cannot discuss individual titles with authors nor notify authors of decisions regarding disposition of materials. If a local author’s submitted material is added to the collection, it will appear in the library catalog within three months.
If you would like to print the form, please click here for a downloadable PDF.