Textbook Acquisition

Category: Operations

Number: OPS-120-015

Audience: All University employees

Issued: December 10, 1998

Revised: June 09, 2021

Owner(s): AVP (Student Affairs)

Approved by: Provost and Vice-President (Academic), VP (Administration)

Contact: Director, Student Affairs Operations - 306-337-8459

Introduction

This policy provides a coordinated approach to the acquisition of textbooks, including desk copies, and outlines the responsibility for chargebacks on unsold custom publications.

Faculty, staff and students are reminded that most material to be used in courses is governed by Canadian Copyright Law, specific Licensing Agreements, and other contracts.

Policy

The University of Regina Campus Store (managed by Follett) is an Ancillary Service with a primary responsibility to retail course textbooks and related educational material to students at the most reasonable price possible. Faculties, departments, and all course instructors must order all required and optional copyrighted material, including textbooks, course-packs, laboratory manuals and other materials which are to be available for students to purchase, through the Campus Store. The Campus Store is the only officially recognized retailer of these materials.

Consequences for Noncompliance

The Campus Store is the official provider of textbook materials; faculties, departments or course instructors who obtain textbooks from a source other than the Campus Store, or direct their students to do so, may be subject to disciplinary action.

Processes

Textbook Adoption

Detailed textbook adoption procedures will be communicated to Faculty Administrators, including recommended ordering timelines and contact information for assistance. Because the inventory system is linked to Banner enrollment, the Campus Store may adjust requested text numbers to align with projected enrollment, historical purchasing trends, and used inventory in circulation.

Desk Copy

Each faculty member or department administrative assistant (or designate) is responsible for obtaining his or her own desk copies of textbooks. The Campus Store does not order or supply publishers' desk copies for faculty members.
Upon request, the Campus Store will provide publisher contact information to help facilitate obtaining a desk copy.

Chargeback to Departments for Custom Publications

The Campus Store has the discretion to adjust requested order numbers to reflect number on hand, projected registration, and past purchasing trends. University departments and faculties, with adoption requirements for specific publication numbers for a given course section, will be invoiced for 50% of the Campus Store’s cost of unsold copies of lab manuals, custom publications, and course packages which are no longer in use, and which are non-returnable.