Personal purchases of material for the library

Refunds and invoice payment procedures

Information for Academic Staff

Occasionally academic staff make personal purchases of books or other material which they intend to place in the Library, e.g. items on special offer at a conference or discounted through personal membership of a professional body. To obtain a refund of costs, you need a purchase receipt. To get the invoice paid from Library funds you need a supplier's invoice. Follow the procedure described below.

You'll need to:

• Get the expenditure of library bookfund money authorised by your Library Representative
  • Complete a Personal Purchase of Material for the Library form.
  • Ask your Library Representative to sign part 1 of the Authorisation section of the form.

For material with a Purchase Receipt

• Take the material, your purchase receipt and the authorised personal purchase form to the Library.
• Hand in the material, and ask for the Authorisation section of the form to be countersigned by Library staff (i.e. the Information Consultant or Site Librarian for the appropriate subject area, or his/her deputy).
• A photocopy will be made for Library use, and the form and receipt returned to you. The book(s) or other material will be retained by the Library.

Then:

• See your "Departmental Finance Person" (DFP) to arrange for the refund of purchase cost as expenses credits with your salary payment.
• Take the authorised form and your purchase receipt to your DFP, and explain what you want.
• The Library fund-code against which claims should be made is 6100 LB000 UZZ0000.

For material with a Supplier's Invoice

This is the preferred procedure

If you buy books "for the library", instead of the procedure above, it's easier for everyone if you:

• Get an invoice from your supplier.
• The invoice should be addressed to Aberdeen University Library or to you at your University address.
• Send the Personal Purchases for the Library form (authorised by your Library Representative), the invoice and the book(s) all together to the Library (i.e. to the relevant Information Consultant or Site Librarian for the subject area).
• We will then arrange payment direct to the supplier.
  
  But this only works if,
• You can get an invoice and don't have to pay cash up front!
• The items on the invoice are all for the Library. If only some of the items detailed on the invoice are for the library, and others are not, we cannot pay the "Library's share" on such an invoice.

If the invoice is addressed to your home address or part of the invoice is for personal material then consult your DFP and Library Representative for authorisation. 

• Remember -
  Check the Library Catalogue first - the item may be in stock already
• Check with your Library Representative that there are funds in your School / Section's Library budget allocation
• The invoice will not be passed for payment by the Library until we have the material in hand