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5.3.4 Books, Periodicals and Membership Dues

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Approved by the Senior Associate Vice President for Finance.
Last Updated

Formerly Known As Policy Number: 57.1

This Guide Memo describes policies on making purchases from the Stanford Bookstore or directly from publishers.

1. Stanford Bookstore Purchases

a. Stanford Bookstore

Departments order books and supplies from the Bookstore using a Purchasing Card ("P-card") or standard purchase order.

b. Books not Stocked in Bookstore

When books are not available in stock, the Bookstore will order from a book wholesaler or publisher. Books will be shipped directly from the wholesaler or publisher to the department.

c. Purchasing with Grant or Contract Funds

When grant or contract funds are used for Bookstore purchases, the department requesting the purchase is responsible for ensuring that the purchases are authorized by the funding source. In some cases, low-cost items such as calculators are viewed in grants or contracts as general purpose equipment and may not be purchased without advance approval by the funding source. Contact the Office of Sponsored Research for more information.

2. Direct Orders for Books

Direct orders for books should be placed via a standard requisition in iProcurement.

3. Subscriptions and Membership Dues

Periodical subscriptions and membership dues should be paid via a Non-PO Payment Request in the Expense Requests system.

4. Reimbursements for Cash Purchases

a. Requesting Reimbursement

Reimbursement of an individual's personal expenditure for books, subscriptions or membership dues with subscriptions can be made through petty cash if the items are within current petty cash dollar limits. All other reimbursement requests must be made via an Expense Report in the Expense Requests system.

b. Receipt Required

The individual is responsible for providing an original receipt showing proof of payment with the request for reimbursement. A copy of the personal check after processing by the bank can serve as a receipt if none is provided by the supplier.