Library Technical Services

Scope: This procedure explains how supplies are purchased for LTS Olin, what inventories are maintained in the LTS Olin administrative office, and the responsibilities of LTS Olin units in the management of supplies.

Contact: Laurie Stevens

Date last reviewed: 09/28/07

Date of next review: September 2008

Supplies

Purchasing Supplies

Requesting Supplies

Ordering and Delivery

Storage and Inventories

A. Supplies

Supplies are items needed by staff to do their jobs. They include pencils, paper clips, pens, and other items commonly found around office desks. They are used up and need to be replaced fairly frequently. They are generally low cost, ranging from under $1 to under $25 per unit. They do not include items such as desks, computers, chairs, telephones, or copy machines, which are considered equipment and charged to a different budget.

B. Purchasing Supplies

A basic inventory of supplies commonly used in LTS Olin units is maintained in the LTS Olin supplies cabinet. These supplies, listed on the attached sheet, are available at all times on request. Supplies not on the list may be obtained in one of two ways: on request from the LTS administrative support specialist or by direct purchase by unit staff.

C. Requesting Supplies

1. From the supplies list. Request supplies from the LTS administrative support specialist preferably via e-mail. Alternatively, help yourself from the supplies cabinet.

2. Other items. For items not on the supplies list, provide all needed ordering information: complete name and description of the item; the vendor's name, address, and telephone number; the catalog reference, if any; the unit price; and shipping charges. The LTS administrative support specialist is not responsible for finding this information but will assist those who need it as much as possible. However, since other duties often will take precedence, she cannot be held to a specific timetable when giving assistance.

D. Ordering and Delivery

1. Items requested from the central supplies list by 5 p.m. on one day will be delivered to staff requesting them by noon on the following day. Items not on the list will be ordered on Fridays and delivered to the requestors by noon on the day following their receipt. Alternatively, at the option of the unit head involved, they may be purchased by unit staff from the Campus Store. In such cases unit heads are responsible for making sure that the correct account is used and that receipts for the purchases are given to the LTS administrative support specialist.
2. If, for any reason, ordering on the regular Friday cycle is delayed or the administrative support specialist receives word that delivery will be delayed, she will inform the requestors.

E. Storage and Inventories

The LTS administrative support specialist maintains an inventory of the supplies on the attached list in a cabinet in the LTS Olin closet in the east end of Room 110. At the discretion of the unit heads involved, units may maintain inventories of their own, either singly or in cooperation with other units. The responsibility for maintaining the inventories in, and the distribution from, those locations rests with the units involved.