In library acquisitions, the purchase order is accepted by which party?

• A. The library's acquisitions staff
• B. The seller
• C. The publisher
• D. The cataloging department

Answer: (B)

In acquisitions, a purchase order is the library’s offer to buy under specified terms. The acceptance happens when the seller agrees to those terms—often by sending an order acknowledgement or confirming the order. That acceptance forms the binding agreement to supply the items at the agreed price and delivery conditions. The library’s acquisitions staff initiate and manage the order, but they do not “accept” it—the seller does. The publisher is the source of the material, not the party that accepts the library’s order, and the cataloging department handles description after the items arrive, not the ordering. Therefore, the seller is the party that accepts the purchase order.