Systems and Procedures
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
The University Press is a nonprofit publisher of scholarly, cross-over trade, and regional trade titles, operating as a department of the University within the administration structure of the University Libraries. The operation is directed toward the publishing and sale of books and journals of interest to the academic community and the general public. This procedure covers the business operation of the University Press, with emphasis on the sales and accountability of publications.
The Acquiring Editors manage the review process for the manuscripts submitted to the University Press and determine which manuscripts are recommended for publication. They conduct peer review on manuscripts under consideration by soliciting external reports for each project from at least two specialists in the field. If a manuscript is recommended for publication, the Acquiring Editor prepares a proposal to publish and presents it to the Press New Projects Committee for review and discussion of the following factors: the project's fit with the list; audience and sales potential; marketing and publicity concerns; editing, design, and production concerns.
The New Projects Committee reviews and discusses the proposals for books to be published. It is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief to determine whether projects will move forward unless the Director requests further consultation with Acquisitions about that decision. Upon approval the Editor-in-Chief submits the proposals to the Editorial Committee consisting of University faculty members appointed by the Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications plus two members chosen by the Faculty Senate Committees on Research and the Libraries.
Books published in the Keystone imprint undergo peer review and discussion/approval by the New Projects Committee; but they do not pass through the Editorial Committee for final approval.
Books published in the Eisenbrauns imprint undergo peer review and discussion/approval by the New Projects Committee. Upon approval, the Eisenbrauns Editor submits the proposals to the Eisenbrauns Editorial Committee (separate from the main Press Editorial Committee) consisting of University faculty members.
After a manuscript is approved or rejected by the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Committees, the author is notified of the decision. For accepted manuscripts, the Acquiring Editors request cost estimates to produce each manuscript and prepare a title P&L/publication plan (Exhibit A). Once the manuscript is reviewed by the sales and marketing director and the EDP manager and is approved by the Editor-in-Chief and the Director, a book contract (Exhibit B) is prepared for signature by the Director and Author outlining the terms of the book's publication (e.g., size of manuscript, date the final manuscript is due, royalties, etc.). The University Press Director signs on behalf of the University (this is an approved FN11 Contracts and Leases).
In accordance with the terms of the contract, the author submits the final manuscript to the appropriate University Press Acquiring Editor who reviews it and then transmits it to the Production Manager. The Production Manager supervises the manuscript copy-editing and design processes and purchases the manufacturing following the guidelines and arrangement established by the Office of Central Procurement and Policy BS07 Authority and Procurement. For those titles that require it, the Production Manager prepares a Request for Quotes (Exhibit C) to solicit quotes from printers for the printing and binding process and conducts the bidding process. After the printing and binding process, bound copies are shipped to the University Press Distribution Center. The production team records costs associated with editorial, design, and production in the Press’s title management system. When all costs have been entered and inventory received a unit cost is noted in the TMS.
The Pennsylvania State University Press has agreements with commissioned (non-University staff members) sales representatives to contact bookstores and other book outlets for distribution of University Press titles throughout the world. In addition to these sales representatives, the University Press advertises in appropriate venues including social media.
Orders are primarily received through email, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and our website. It is extremely rare for an order to come in the mail. Orders are entered into the InOrder Fulfillment system as received.
Payments are sent to the library business office directly and are restrictively endorsed in accordance with Policy FN01 Cash Revenues and Procedure FN2005 Processing Cash Revenues. The Administrative Assistant runs an adding machine tape and prepares a prenumbered receipt for all payments received and transfers the payments to the Library Courier on an Accountability Transfer Form. The adding machine tape and the prenumbered receipt are attached to the Accountability Transfer Form.
Upon receipt of the payment, the Library Business Office Financial Associate staff confirms the total received from the Press Administrative Assistant. If not in balance, the Library Business Office Financial Associate staff resolves the discrepancy with the Press Administrative Assistant. If in balance, the Library Business Office Financial Associate or Business Manager enters the payments into an on-line system entitled InOrder and notes the type of payment (check, currency, or credit card).
NOTE: If payment is made by credit card, the warehouse staff members utilize the Penn State Library ePay system to send a secure link to the customer for payment. If payment is on the Press secure website, cart admin is used to charge the customer's account.
The InOrder Fulfillment system automatically generates an invoice indicating the "PAID" status for all payments received and assigns an Invoice number. Copies of the order and invoice number are filed in the warehouse. The original copy is sent to the customer with the order. The Invoice information is stored electronically in the InOrder Fulfillment System. Once the orders are entered, the warehouse staff members print the invoices. Once printed, inventory is scanned and is packed for shipment which updates the sales history, available inventory, and Accounts Receivables (see "Book Inventory" section for more details).
The Library Business Office Financial Associate staff then prepares the Journal Entry for Incoming Funds in accordance with Procedure CR2004 Accountability for Transfer of Items of Value (Except Equipment) and Procedure FN2005 Processing Cash Revenues. The Library Business Office Financial Associate staff confirms the total on the tape to the funds received from the Press and includes those funds on the Journal Entry for Incoming Funds that is being prepared for the day. The receipt number of the associated prenumbered receipt is documented as part of the document item text for those funds on the Journal Entry for Incoming funds document. If not in balance, the Library Business Office Financial Associate staff resolves the discrepancy with the Press Administrative Assistant. If in balance, the money is deposited and a copy of the JE and all associated back up including, the prenumbered receipt, the adding machine tapes, and the Accountability Transfer Forms are filed in the department.
If the payment is by credit card, the following procedure will apply.
All credit card payments are processed utilizing the Penn State ePay Credit Card System.
The order is entered into InOrder, including shipping and any applicable sales taxes. The invoice with ePay Link will be sent to the customer and then processed using ePay. No credit cards numbers are entered directly by press staff.
The order amount, including shipping and any applicable sales tax, will be calculated in InOrder and then processed using cart admin. The warehouse staff members enter the order into the Book Fulfillment System with a note "Credit Card Order." The customer enters their credit card account number directly. The order form is printed and filed with the applicable invoice number noted.
The order amount, including shipping and any applicable sales tax, will be calculated in InOrder and entered by the warehouse staff into the system. No credit card account numbers will be entered. The order form is printed and filed with the applicable invoice number noted. The invoice is sent to the customer for payment and payments are processed as noted above.
Fax or Mail-in orders are very rarely received. If they are received, they are managed like email orders above.
The order amount, including shipping and any applicable sales taxes, will be calculated manually and then processed at the exhibit using Elevon, a hand-held credit card terminal. Occasionally pre-paid orders are taken at the exhibit using the hand-held Elevon device. The order is turned into the warehouse staff and will be entered into InOrder Fulfillment System as a pre-paid credit card order. No credit card account numbers will be entered. The invoices are maintained electronically in the system. Copies of the order forms are maintained in the warehouse exhibit files.
The Press follows PCI compliant policies, and our PCI documents are completed annually.
Payments received by mail are sent to the Library Business office.
If any checks are received at the Press offices, the Press Administrative restrictively endorses all checks upon receipt per Policy FN01 Cash Revenues and Procedure FN2005 Processing Cash Revenues, runs adding machine tape and prepares a prenumbered receipt for all payments received for the day, and transfers the payments to the library courier for processing at the library. The amounts are noted on an Accountability Transfer Form. The adding machine tape and the prenumbered receipts are attached to the Accountability Transfer Form.
Upon receipt of the payments, the Library Business Office Financial Associate staff confirms the total on the tape to the funds received from the Press and includes those funds on the Cash Deposit JE that is being prepared for the day. The receipt number of the associated pre-numbered receipt is documented as part of the document item text for those funds on the Cash Deposit JE. If not in balance, the Library Business Office Financial Associate staff resolves the discrepancy with the Press Administrative Assistant. If in balance, the Library Business Office Financial Associate or Business Manager enters the payment information into InOrder system which automatically updates the Accounts Receivables. Customer statements reflecting this payment information are sent to the customer at the end of the month. Follow-up statements are generated every month until full payment is received. After 90 days of no receipt of payment, the Library Business Office Financial Associate sends a follow-up letter and will continue to pursue collection until paid. If an account cannot be settled in-house, the account will be turned over to a collection agency.
There are certain customers (new individuals or small stores, etc.) who are required to remit in advance of any shipments. In these cases, the Business Manager or warehouse staff prepares a Pro Forma Invoice (Exhibit D).
The warehouse staff may also prepare an Epay invoice that is sent to the customer with a secure link for the customer to pay securely via credit card. The original copy of the Pro Forma Invoice is e-mailed to the customer, requesting payment in advance. A copy of the Invoice is held in the system at the University Press until remittance is received. Payments are processed as outlined above.
When a customer desires to return a book, permission is not required. When the warehouse receives returned books, the Shipping Clerk(s) verifies the quantity of the merchandise received and ensures that the merchandise is in good condition. The Shipping Clerk(s) prepares a system-generated-numbered Credit Memo via the InOrder system.
Evidence of the returned merchandise (copy of Invoice, packing slip, etc.) along with the original credit memo is forwarded to the warehouse supervisor. The Credit Memo automatically updates the Accounts Receivables balance and the Customer Account and the available inventory. If the customer desires a refund in lieu of credit, the press staff forwards the request to the Library business office. The Library accounting assistance Request for Refund for processing. The Accounting Assistant updates InOrder Accounts Receivable to reflect the refund on the customer account.
Resident in the InOrder System is a function entitled Inventory Transactions. New merchandise received is recorded in the system by book title, author, ISBN number, cost, quantity (received and total on-hand and available) and warehouse location. The Inventory Transaction Program also tracks the movement of books from one warehouse location to another. University Press has a main warehouse for storage on campus and utilizes warehouses in London, England, and Toronto, Canada for distribution. This issuance of inventory is managed by the program in two different methods:
After book orders are entered into InOrder the supervisor warehouse staff prints the invoices that are ready to be shipped. The books are scanned prior to packing and shipping. This automatically updates inventory records to reflect books shipped. The inventory is moved from the "allocated" column and subtracted from the "on-hand" inventory balance.
Occasionally Press staff may remove books from inventory for professional use or quality review. The Inventory Check-Out Form (Exhibit F) is utilized to control and track the inventory removed. These requests are batched by the Business Manager or warehouse staff, and once per month the Inventory Transaction Program is updated. A List of Inventory Transactions (Exhibit G) is available on the Book Fulfillment System to view all the transactions in and out of inventory.
Annually, before the end of the fiscal year, a cycle count is completed twice of inventory in the warehouse by University Press warehouse staff. A team consisting of one or two staff members conducts the counts and turns them into the warehouse supervisor. If there is a discrepancy to the InOrder inventory balance. If the team members agree on the amount, then the count is entered directly into the InOrder system. All inventory records are maintained by the warehouse Supervisor. A copy of all the valuation reports is forwarded to the Sr. Director of Business Administration at the library and to the University Auditing Department for inventory valuation purposes.
Periodically, the Business Manager and/or Sales and Marketing Director will prepare a report of obsolete inventory and submit it to the Press Director or Sales and Marketing Director. The Director in conjunction with the Business Manager will prepare the final titles and quantities and submit that to the Financial Officer and/or Director of Administrative Services for final approval. Obsolete inventory will be pulped or remaindered based on past sales or subject area.
Based on industry standards, the University Press Sales and Marketing Director sets the commission rate and method of payment for all sales representatives. A contract is drawn up by the Sales and Marketing Director and/or Press Director. Some commissions are paid on a percentage basis of total net dollar sales by area and other sales representatives are paid on a flat fee basis. The Sales and Marketing Director reviews and approves all commission invoices for payment.
The Press publishes scholarly, peer-reviewed journals that are subscription-based or open access. The Journals Manager receives and reviews proposals for new journal startups, acquisitions, or partnerships. Once a journal is approved by Press leadership and shared with the Editorial Committee, a contract is drawn up and signed by the journal editor or sponsor (if owned by a society) and the Press Director. Contract terms will outline whether royalties are due to the editor or society and if support payments are required. Royalties are paid annually in June.
The Press has invested in software solutions to support our business and workflow. All systems utilized by the Press have been procured following university procedures. The journals team uses Virtusales BiblioLIVE to manage the production processes, schedules, contact records, and web feed. The web feed is made possible with XML reporting from the system and configuration of our own website by the Press's IT manager.
In addition, the University Press use Aries Editorial Manager to manage the submission and peer-review process. The Press employs an in-house managing editor to configure and provide training and support within the system. Each journal editor may customize the site to fit their workflow, but they all include a publishing agreement for each author to sign electronically as they submit their paper for consideration. The publishing agreement (Exhibit H) outlines the terms of publication and is delivered to the Press upon final acceptance of a manuscript.
When issues are delivered by the editorial teams (following peer review), the production team transmits the article and shepherds it through copyediting, typesetting, and proofing. Upon approval, the production team will review within the online platform and set the content to live while also delivering final PDFs to our printer. On initial printing, the Press produces 15-35 extra copies to be stored in off-site inventory. Print files are automatically added to the digital warehouse for print-on-demand so that inventory levels can be kept minimal. Our print vendor manages the inventory and ships copies to customers upon request. The Press reviews inventory levels annually and pulps excess as needed.
OA journals are funded by outside organizations or departments which support production of the journal, including overhead, so that authors and end-users do not have to pay fees for submission or access. Editors/authors in the subscription-based journals can arrange for an OA article for a fee.
The subscription titles are available in both print and online formats. The Press partners with Duke University Press for hosting on the Scholarly Publishing Collective, which is the Press's publisher platform (backed by Silverchair). Select titles are also available online through other aggregators, such as Project MUSE or JSTOR.
Subscriptions for individuals and institutions can be placed through Johns Hopkins University Press. JHUP provides customer service for print and online subscriptions, receives, and processes orders, and manages the online shopping carts. Monthly reporting on income is provided. Other reporting available upon request.
Subscriptions for institutions can be placed through Duke University Press directly for access on the Scholarly Publishing Collective. Print is available as an add-on. The Collective markets and sells direct subscriptions, pay-per-view, and offers a Penn State Journals Collection, which includes all the Press's journal titles. Duke UP provides customer service for subscriptions on their platform, processes payments, and submits monthly income reports to PSUP. Pay-per-view income is paid quarterly. Metadata deposits and content sharing are coordinated through the Collective and CrossRef.
The Press participates in dark archiving for all content published in the journals division to ensure future accessibility and preservation, especially for libraries who subscribe to perpetual access. The Press partners with Portico through its partnership with JSTOR and separately engages with CLOCKSS/LOCKSS. Final files of all published journals are delivered to these partners for storage and security.
See Procedure FN2002 Processing Returned Checks for the business process pertaining to checks returned by banking institutions.
Violation of a financial policy and/or procedure should be reported to your supervisor, unit manager, Human Resources representative, and/or office responsible for the policy and/or procedure. Where those resources are inadequate, you may choose to make an anonymous report through the Penn State University hotline by calling 1-800-560-1637.
Monthly reconciliations are to be performed by the Library Business Manager and Press Business Manager to help ensure the related sets of financial documents balance, and thus evaluate the integrity of the controls and record-keeping system. Specifically, the Press Business Manager prepares a Combined Income and Expense Summary each month and presents it to the Director, Financial Officer, Sr Director of Administrative Services, and Department Managers.
The Business Area Financial Officer is responsible for ensuring that procedures pertaining to the accountability and safeguarding of all cash receipts, cash funds, and other assets are established and followed in accordance with approved University policies and procedures. Regular audits relating to advances, cash, travel, equipment accountability, and other expenditures provide a means to protect University assets. The Financial Officer is responsible for collaborating with Internal Audit when audits are being performed in the administrative area. Audits relating to sponsored activities or other audits performed by external auditors may also be performed. The Financial Officer would also be responsible for collaborating with the external auditor and/or a central university office related to these procedures.
University Records must be retained and managed in accordance with Policy AD35 University Archives and Records Management and the University’s Records Retention Schedules that have been approved by the Records Management Advisory Committee (RMAC), the Office of General Counsel, and Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff. These Records Retention Schedules are derived from - or based upon - federal, state, and local statutes or regulations (i.e.; Federal Acquisition Regulations, the OMB Uniform Guidance, Internal Revenue Service, and other regulations governing the auditability and retention of financial records), University Policy, industry standards, and business needs. All University Records must be maintained in such a manner to provide ease of access, establish a suitable audit trail for all transactions, and to be reviewed prior to disposition.
University Records and Transitory/Disposable Records are defined below. See Policy AD35, Definition of Terms for additional information.
Upon completion of the retention period, University Records must be disposed of via secure destruction or transfer to University Archives, unless an exception to the disposition process set forth below applies. In many cases, retention periods and disposition methods may be generally determined by comparing the type of record (i.e., reports, correspondence, etc.) to similar records series with known retention periods listed on the Records Retention Schedule. If the disposition method for University Records states "Review by Archives" on the Records Retention Schedule, the Unit responsible for those records should consult the University Archivist for a final determination of disposition. For University Records that must be securely destroyed, units may arrange for shredding services by either contacting the Blue/White Shredding Program or the Inactive Records Center (IRC).
Exceptions to the disposition process are as follows:
To safeguard the privacy of individuals, records that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as defined in University Policy AD53 Privacy Policy, or student records, as defined in University Policy AD11 Confidentiality of Student Records, must be securely destroyed beyond recovery. For additional information regarding privacy and the protection of an individual's personal information, see Policy AD53 Privacy Policy.
Additional questions may be directed to the Office of Records Management.
For questions or additional details, please contact the Manager, University Press.
To request changes to this procedure please contact the Office of Systems and Procedures by submitting a GURU Technical Support Request Form.
9/25/2024