What is a Special Order?

A Special Order is a request for a resource that the LRC does not list in its Resources Catalog for sale to Alberta or British Columbia schools. If you represent a registered Alberta or BC school or school authority, and the resource you need is a current educational item of a type that the LRC would normally list, you can place a request for the resource through our Special Order Service.

Please note: If you require a resource for students with visual impairments that you cannot locate in the Specialized Services for the Visually Impaired (SSVI) Catalog, please complete and submit a Request For Production Form .

How does the Special Order Service work?

The Customer provides the LRC with as much product information as possible. Once we determine that the request meets our order and eligibility requirements, we will contact the supplier for pricing and availability. In turn, we will contact the Customer with the price and will order the resource(s) only after receiving a commitment to purchase from the Customer, and with the understanding that LRC will not accept returns or order cancellations.

Special Orders can only be placed via e-mail or faxed-in orders; online ordering is not available. See below to print our Special Order Request Form.

To Order:

• Complete a Special Order Request (print version available below) with the following minimum required information: Title, ISBN, and Publisher.
  • Publication Date, Author, and Edition, while not mandatory, are also helpful.
  • If the ISBN is not available, please provide the Edition and/or Publication Date.
• There is no minimum dollar value per order, but LRC, at its discretion, encourages the school to make this order as large as possible, e.g. 3-5 titles.
• The resource must be a recent publication - where possible, published within the last 4 years - and still in print.
• Special Order products are not eligible for the Early Order Discount.

Returns Policy:

LRC will not accept any cancellation or return of Special Order items, unless defective or shipped in error, and then only with LRC's prior knowledge and approval, as per LRC's Returns/Replacement Policy Guidelines. This stipulation is at the bottom of the Special Order Request form for your reference.

Resources not eligible for the Special Order Service include:

• Library-type resources, e.g. novels.
  With thousands of novels available in the market today and companies that deal exclusively with novels, LRC is not in a position to order these under this service.
• Little Books, i.e. multiple components/storybooks/little books of a series, e.g. Early Literacy.
  This is due to hundreds to choose from and existing agreements with vendors that LRC list and sell only series package components.
• Resources currently under review by Curriculum, those rejected after curricular review, and any resource that would not be considered an Alberta Basic Student or BC Comprehensive resource.
• Any title that cannot be sourced from a supplier.

How long will a Special Order take?

A Special Order request may take 4 - 6 weeks to research, order and receive stock from a Canadian vendor, and then ship to the Customer. The more information the Customer provides on the initial request, the sooner LRC can order and deliver the resource.

While orders may take less time, they can also take longer because:

• The resource is out of stock at the publisher or distributor (in reprint, etc.),
• The resource may need to be ordered and shipped from a U.S. or other foreign publisher/supplier,
• Some publishers have a minimum order requirement that exceeds the Customer's needs.

How much will a resource cost through the Special Order Service?

We will research the resource's cost and advise the Customer of the final selling price. We will not release the order to the vendor until the Customer approves the final selling price.

Special Order Request Form