Frequently Used Vendor Codes:

• Frequently-used vendors, such as a vendor with whom we have an open P.O. or a vendor listed on the pre-approved VISA vendor list, are exceptions to the usual vendor code creation procedures.

• All vendor codes must start with the two-character sub-library prefix BC, followed by a hyphen.

• Because we will be typing these vendor codes frequently, keep them short-- preferably three or four letters beyond the hyphen.

• Use an easily identifiable and memorable code, such as BC-HAR for Harrassowitz.

Existing Vendors:

An existing vendor is a vendor for which a vendor record already exists in Aleph. In all cases, you must find and utilize existing vendors, avoiding creating duplicate vendor records. To find and use existing vendors, follow these steps.

1. Open the Aleph Serials/Acquisitions Module.

2. Click on the Administration Icon (Pencil Holder) in the main tab.

3. Click on "Vendors".

4. Select a search mode. Usually name works best.

5. Type the vendor you're looking for in the blank search box.

6. Make sure that "all" is checked.

7. In the sublibrary field, either select or type BC-BC. This will limit the vendor records you see to just UMBC's.

8. If you don't find the vendor at first, try other plausible variations of the vendor name, eg. with or without articles, and any variations on the vendor name. Examples: American Library Association is the same as ALA Customer Service. Amazon France is the same as Amazon.fr. Book Bin is the same as Book Bin Inc.

9. Do not use the following categories of vendor records:

   • Vendor codes ending with a 26. These are serials vendors and shouldn't be used for book orders.

   • Vendors with the vendor status NA. These are inactive vendors. Generally a new vendor record has been created for the vendor, and there is usually a note in the record indicating what vendor code to use.

   • Vendors with a 4 letter vendor code, which are usually converted Carl vendor records. If the update date in the record is 12-26-04 and the order delivery type is LI, the record needs to be converted to the Aleph format using the procedure "Modifying Vendor Records Converted from Carl."

   • Vendors with a note stating "Do not use this vendor." This generally relates to very serious problems with past transactions with that vendor.

10. Otherwise, if the update date in the vendor record is within the last year, you can simply use the vendor following normal procedures and any special instructions given in the vendor record.

11. If the vendor record hasn't been updated in the last year, re-confirm all info with the vendor and add a note to the vendor record indicating "Confirmed Date." Make any needed changes to the record.

Establishing the legitamacy of new vendors:

There are scams directed specifically at libraries, as well as scams directed at Internet shoppers, including book buyers. There are also vendors that simply don't follow responsible business practices. While most small businesses are ethical and responsible, we must take care to make a reasonable effort to avoid disclosing credit card information and paying money to the ones that aren't. In all cases, the following minimal precautions should be taken:
In all cases, we must have a mailing address and a phone number for the vendor. No exceptions.

• We can use large mainstream businesses, booksellers, publishing houses, and large professional associations and assume them to be ethical and responsible. Examples are Walmart.com, Amazon.com, Oxford University Press, and The American Library Association. Vendors like these can be established and used without further question.

• If we have a reliable reference, we can, in most cases, assume the vendor to be ok to use. This would be cases like when we try using the vendor that the bookstore or another library uses for certain types of materials. Evaluate vendor recommendations coming from faculty members. If it's a vendor that they know of and use, then go ahead, but if it's a vendor they came across on the Internet, question further. In case of doubt, question further.

• If a vendor has an affiliations with a business or association that requires certain standards of affiliates, we can use them without further question. Examples would be vendors belonging to ABAA ("Membership is open to antiquarian booksellers of good character, reputation and credit rating who have been in business for four continuous years and whose principal place of business is in the United States...Applications..require sponsorship of four current members of ABAA and three secondary sponsors, a biographical letter, a credit report, samples of catalogs or stock listings, and an Applicant Essay. There is a $100 non-refundable application fee.") and vendors listing on AbeBooks (which charges a fee and will suspend the accounts of customers not complying with the law and reserves the right to "monitor, police, screen, or edit" its users listings).

• If a vendor is found on a service such as Amazon.com's marketplace, which gives statistics on the number of transactions and a customer satisfaction rate, assess the number of transactions and the percent satisfaction rate. Vendors with a large number of transacations at a relatively high satisfaction rate can be used without further question. Vendors with relative few transaction or a relatively low satisfaction rate should be question further.

• All other vendors should be verified by insuring that they've provided a legitimate mailing address and phone number. If they address appears to not exist, and or a reverse phone number look up doesn't conform to the vendors information, don't use the vendor.

• If it seems to good to be true, it might be. In all cases, if anything looks odd or suspicious, a general web search can be done to see if there are posting anywhere regarding problems with the company. Sometimes Better Business Bureau and other warnings about a company are quickly and easily found.

Creating New Vendor Codes:

• New vendor codes shall be sixletters in length beyond the hyphen and created by using the following guidelines:

  1. Ignore the initial article of all languages if a vendor name starts with an article.

  2. Treat a hyphenated word as two words.

  3. Ignore any apostrophes in a vendor's name.

  4. For a vendor name consisting of one word, code the first six letters of the word. If the word has fewer than six letters, code the remaining places up to the sixth place with the letter X. Example: Anne's would be coded as BC-ANNESX. ABC would be coded as BC-ABCXXX.

  5. For a vendor name consisting of two or more words, code the first four letters of the first word followed by the first two letters of the second word. For example, Bird's Nest would be coded as BC-BIRDNE. If the first word of the vendor name has fewer than four letters, code all the letters in the first word and as many letters in the second word necessary to make the vendor code six letters in length. For example, Jo's Place would be coded as BC-JOSPLA.

  6. For a vendor name that starts in a very common way, such as "University of", code the first letter of each word in the common portion, followed by the beginning letters of the first unique word up to six letters. For example, University of Michigan is coded as BC-UOMICH. National Institutes of Health is coded as BC-NIOHEA.

  7. For any vendor name that cannot follow the preceding coding procedures, make changes as needed. It is not necessary to make these procedures overly complicated for a few exceptions; just use common sense.

Changing Existing Vendor Codes:

• Before creating an order for a vendor converted from the old database into Ex Libris, modify the vendor code to reflect the same coding procedures used for new vendor records.

Vendor codes cannot be changed in the system once an order record has been attached, so please be mindful of what you are doing.

Creating New Vendor Records:

1. Sign onto the Aleph Acquisitions Serials module and switch to the Administration tab. It's the one with the cupful of pens.

2. Click on Vendors.

3. Vendors will open in a menu to the right.

4. **Make sure that the new vendor code you plan to assign is not already in use. You will lose all of your data if you duplicate another vendor's code.**

5. After ascertaining that you must create a new record for the vendor, click the "New" button.

6. The Upper Pane will go grey and the vendor information form will be opened in the lower pane. You will first work in tab 1. Assign a vendor code by following the procedures at the beginning of this document and enter it in the Vendor Code box.

7. Additional Code is for a FEID/FEIN or Social Security number, if you have one for this vendor.

8. Enter the full vendor name.

9. Vendor Status should be AC, meaning "active." If code is NA ("Not Active") you will not be able to use this vendor.

10. Enter the country of the vendor. Usually USA, of course.

11. Select the vendor language; it will almost always be English, even for the vendors of foreign language materials.

12. Material Type is helpful. For instance, OP/Used Books, Videos, CD-ROMS...

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