E‐Commerce — buying books on the Internet
| Pages | 6-9 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040756 |
| Published date | 01 March 2000 |
| Date | 01 March 2000 |
| Author | Geoffrey Gilbert |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
E-Commerce - buying
books on the
Internet
by Geoffrey Gilbert, Acquisitions
Team Leader, Information Services,
University of Birmingham
This article explains how and why the
University
of
Birmingham have started using
the Internet in the acquisitions
process.
Some
of
the
practical
problems as well as
the advantages are
discussed.
Suggestions
are made about what conditions need to
be met
for more use
of
the Internet to
be
made.
Introduction
Conducting business with suppliers via the Web
has become an increasingly attractive option for
acquiring materials essential in supporting teach-
ing, learning, and research in Higher Education
Institutions. What are the factors leading to this
growth in the use of suppliers via the Web? This
paper will discuss the impact of C&IT on work
operations, the services offered in electronic
form by suppliers, and the convergence of
de-
mands from those who use these services: users,
acquisitions
staff,
and purchasing officers. It
also raises the issue that acknowledgement by
Finance Offices is needed for purchase cards
(VISA etc) to be made available for acquisitions
departments.
At present there are some drawbacks in dealing
electronically with suppliers. Integrating their
orders into the normal workflow and bringing their
discounts and servicing arrangements into line
with other suppliers can be difficult. The advan-
tages in using Web suppliers include the range
of stock available from one source: books, CD's,
videos, and the ability to identify immediately if
an
item is available: the cost, discount, and a delivery
time.
The online book dealer Amazon can act as a
useful bibliographic database for verifying whether
a title exists and validating whether it is still
available.
Background
The use of e-commerce in acquiring materials to
support teaching, learning and research is a vital
issue in a Higher Education Institution. Library
acquisitions departments have dealt electronically
with suppliers for a number of years through
Telnet interfaces set up by the suppliers them-
selves. The arrival of the World Wide Web
revolutionized the way business was conducted.
Suppliers such as Blackwell's, Dawson UK,
BMBC/Coutt's have their own systems through
which selection, ordering and monitoring of orders
can be accomplished. The advent of
the
Internet
has seen all major book suppliers provide a Web
interface, replacing the Telnet version.
Generally, though suppliers' systems were not
available directly to library users for a number of
reasons - it was not practical for academics (users)
to have access to them, audit procedures would not
condone them doing so, and the Communications
& Information Technology (C&IT) culture was not
as prevalent as it is now. This is important, as one
of the 'drivers' towards using e-commerce has
been the opportunity customers have had to use the
same Web based suppliers on similar business
terms.
The demise of the Net Book Agreement and
the library license means it is possible for non-
library customers to take advantage of discounts
being offered by on-line book dealers. For academ-
ics,
the growth of a C&IT culture means there is
opportunity and willingness to try Web services.
They are trying to identify what they perceive as
'quicker and more cost effective ways' of acquir-
ing materials for library collections.
Many academics now identify potential items for
stock via Amazon, publishers' Web pages, and the
facilities provided by many organisations for
second hand book searching. Often, the process for
purchasing materials from these sources produces
difficulties both for the user, the Library, and the
suppliers. These difficulties usually revolve around
methods of payment or the need to maintain an
audit trail, which causes additional work. One
example is adding order details onto the library
acquisitions system as well as ordering the item on
Web pages.
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