Book procurement · Middle East and North Africa
Regional print, catalogued line by line and delivered.
We source printed books across the Middle East and North Africa in volume, document every copy, and deliver them wherever you need them.
What is Shelfmark?
Shelfmark is a book procurement company based in the United Arab Emirates. It sources printed books in Arabic, French, English, Turkish, Persian and Armenian across the Middle East and North Africa and delivers them worldwide with a purchase record for every copy. Clients include libraries, institutions, research organizations and companies building collections.
What we source
Printed books from across the region, bought from the people who sell them, at a fair price.
Out-of-print and regional titles
Regional imprints, university presses, technical and government publications, and backlist titles that rarely leave their home market.
To your list, or by brief
Send ISBNs or catalogue IDs and we fill what the market holds. Or set criteria by language, subject and era and we propose a list before buying.
Checked against your holdings
Share what you already have and we skip it, so you only pay for what is new to you.
- arArabic
- frFrench
- enEnglish
- trTurkish
- faPersian
- hyArmenian
How an order runs
Each stage produces a document you keep. Large programs run in waves.
- 01
Brief or list
You send a title list or criteria under NDA. We reply with a match report showing what is available.
- 02
Quote
A fixed price per copy, covering procurement, handling and delivery to your address.
- 03
Procurement
We source the books and keep a purchase record for every copy.
- 04
Preparation
Each copy is checked, catalogued and packed for shipping.
- 05
Delivery
Shipped by air, sea or road with customs and export paperwork, and a manifest of every copy.
Every copy comes with its papers
Each delivery includes a line-level manifest tying every physical copy to a purchase record. Read about our documentation
// illustrative rows, format only, not real inventory
| Line | ID | Title | Lang | Imprint, year | Condition | Status | Purchase ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00001 | 978-9953-XX-XXX-X | عنوان الكتاب | ar | Beirut publisher, 1974 | Good | Sourced | INV-0001/03 |
| 00002 | LOCAL-CAT-0418 | Title, transliterated | fr | Casablanca press, 1968 | Fair | Sourced | INV-0001/07 |
| 00003 | 978-977-XX-XXXX-X | عنوان الكتاب | ar | Cairo publisher, 1989 | Very good | Already held | n/a |
| 00004 | 978-975-XX-XXXX-X | Title, transliterated | tr | Istanbul publisher, 2003 | Good | Sourced | INV-0002/01 |
- Seller invoice and receipt for every copy
- Manifest with ISBN or catalogue ID, language, imprint and year
- Condition grade, title-page photo on request
- Chain of custody to your door
- Customs and export documents per shipment
- Exclusion log: what we did not buy and why
How we work
Clear rules on what we buy and how we treat sellers and clients.
We do
- Buy printed books from legitimate sellers at a fair price
- Document every purchase line by line
- Pack, clear customs and ship worldwide
- Keep client identity confidential under NDA
We don't
- Buy manuscripts, rare or heritage items, or anything under export protection
- Strip a local market of a title still in print and in demand
- Disclose our clients to sellers or the public
Common questions
What does Shelfmark do?
Shelfmark sources printed books across the Middle East and North Africa and delivers them worldwide, with a purchase record for every copy. Clients include libraries, institutions, research organizations and companies building collections.
Which languages do you source?
Arabic, French, English, Turkish, Persian and Armenian print from across the Middle East and North Africa.
How do you avoid sending books we already have?
Share your holdings or an exclusion list with the brief. We match every title against it before quoting and skip anything you already hold.
What documents come with each delivery?
A line-level manifest (ID, title, language, imprint, year, condition, purchase reference), the seller invoice and receipt for every copy, chain of custody to your door, customs and export documents, and an exclusion log.
Start small
Start with a pilot order
Send a brief or a title list. Within 10 working days you get a match report and a fixed quote. The pilot comes with full documentation, so your team can review the process before you scale.
Or write directly:
sourcing@shelfmark.example