Technical Services Procedures
Ordering and Receiving Materials - Student Procedures: Foreign Language Approval Plan Processing
Page Editor: Kim Wiljanen
Last Updated:
February 13, 2006
OPENING FOREIGN-LANGUAGE APPROVAL PLAN SHIPMENTS (AUX AMATEURS, TOUZOT, HARRASSOWITZ, PUVILL, ETC.)
(Note: Rittenhouse and Hogarth approval plans follow different unpacking procedures--please see below.)
These shipments are located in the foreign approval plan delivery area. Try to start by unpacking the shipments which been in the delivery area for the longest period of time. Ask the student supervisor if you need assistance in identifying the oldest shipments.
Opening Boxes, Assembling Invoice Copies, and Checking off Titles:
Always open shipments one box at a time. (Important: Be sure to keep the outer mailing label from a box until you are certain that the contents of the box correctly match the accompanying invoice.) The invoice for each box can be found either in a marked envelope or inserted inside one of the books.
We need to keep the complete original invoice as well as two additional copies. If the vendor has sent only the original invoice, you will need to make two photocopies of it. If the vendor has sent the original invoice and only one copy, you will need to make an additional photocopy. If the vendor has sent more than two sets of invoice copies in addition to the original, the extra copies may be discarded. Note: If the invoice is longer than one page, please collate and staple the pages for both the original invoice and both sets of copies so that you have the complete original invoice, collated and stapled, as well as two complete sets of copies, each collated and stapled.
On the original invoice, check the books in the box against the titles listed, placing a check mark to the left of each title received. If the contents of the box correctly match the invoice entries, write "all received," your initials, and today's date at the top the original invoice as well as at the top of both of the copies.
If There is Something Wrong with the Shipment:
If you discover a problem with the shipment (e.g., missing books, wrong books sent, etc.), rubber band the books together with all copies of the invoice as well as the mailing label you've been saving, and bring the shipment to the approval plan processor. If the processor is away, leave the stack of books with a note explaining the problem on his or her desk, and move on to another box.
Distributing Invoices and Shelving Books:
If the books in the shipment correctly match the titles on the invoice, gather the books together into a stack and place one of the copies of the invoice in the top book so that it can be clearly seen. The original invoice and the remaining copy should be paper clipped together with the original on top and taken to the approval plan processor.
Place the books on the review shelves designated for the approval plan shipment which you're opening. Individual shipments should be separated with book ends or banded together with pink ties (please see attached to determine when pink ties are required). Label the review shelves with a yellow Post-it note indicating today's date. Please Scotch tape the Post-it note to the shelf. If you fill more than one shelf with books, label each shelf you use in a similar fashion. Note: Never divide an individual shipment onto different shelves. If a shipment is too large to fit in the available space on a shelf, move the entire shipment to another shelf.
If the Review Shelves are Full:
If the shelves for your approval plan are full, you can sometimes find an unlabeled adjacent shelf. If you use an unlabeled shelf, label it with the name of the approval plan as well as today's date, so that the batch of books can be easily identified. Never use shelves for overflow purposes that have been designated for other approval plans. If you cannot find an unlabeled adjacent shelf, ask the approval plan processor or student supervisor for guidance. If the approval plan processor is away, leave a note on his or her desk along with the stack of books that you were unable to shelve. You should discontinue opening that particular approval plan in this event, but if there are any different types of approval plans to be unpacked, you may proceed to those.
Clean-Up:
Take packing trash to the mail room (boxes go to the box pile, styrofoam packing peanuts go to the round bin, and other trash goes in the white cloth bins). Return the carton opener to the desk. Clean up your work area.
Please note: Please be sure to arrange your work shift to allow for enough time to finish opening any given box all the way through. Don't start in on a new box if you don't think you will have enough time to get it completely finished. Move on to another task instead. Ask the student supervisor if you need direction.
Aux Amateurs de Livres approval plan (#1087) -- Nicole
Bach (Susan) approval plan (#1092) -- Nicole
Books from Mexico approval plan (#1090) -- Nicole
Clarke's Bookshop approval plan ( to be determined)
Harrassowitz (Otto) approval plan (#1059) -- Loretta
* Hogarth Representation approval plan (#1082) -- Loretta
Kubon & Sagner approval plan (#1065) -- Nicole
Kubon & Sagner approval plan (#1066) -- Nicole
Latin American Book Store approval plan (#1093) -- Elida
Latin American Book Store approval plan (#1096) -- Elida
Latin American Book Store approval plan (#1100) -- Elida
Libros Andinos approval plan (#1094) -- Nicole
Howard Karno approval plan (#1101) -- Elida
Michigan State University Press Africana approval plan (#1099) -- Nicole
Puvill Libros approval plan (#1078) -- Loretta
Retta approval plan (#1097) -- Elida
** Rittenhouse approval plan (#1085) -- Kim
Russian Press Service approval plan (#1088) -- Nicole
Touzot approval plan (#1076) -- Nicole
*** Worldwide Books approval plan (#1095) -- Kim
* Hogarth approval plan follows a slightly different unpacking procedure from the other plans. The books do not go onto a review shelf but go onto an empty book truck instead (please ask the Africana processor or the student supervisor if you need help finding an empty book truck). Each shipment should be placed on a different shelf of the truck with its corresponding invoice copy and be supported by a bookend (please see the student supervisor if you don't know where to find the bookends). The truck should then be delivered to the alcove at the far west side of technical services. The original invoices, each with its corresponding copy, also go to the Africana processor according to the normal procedure.
Tattle Tape all books except the Hogarth, Karno, the three Latin American Bookstore and the Retta plans.