PCard Purchases

Owned by Lewis Day
Apr 08, 2020

The preferred method for PCard-based acquisitions is for the Curator to send a request to the Technical Services Librarian. The request should contain:

  • Title, author, imprint

  • Preferred version or edition (including Kickstarter campaigns, limited editions, numbered copies, and signed copies)

  • Preferred vendor

  • Link to to the precise item (as with Alibris, ABE Books, Powell’s, Strand, etc.), if desired

  • The fund against which the purchase will be charged (items often arrive after a charge has been swept)

The TSL will place the order, and create bib, holdings, and order records in Alma.

When material is received, the TSL will:

  • Alert the Curator for review, and have the shipment added to the Incoming Collections Log. 

  • After curatorial review, either catalog the material (in the case of contemporary material), or add it to the Rare Books queue.

  • Update the Alma record, including the Receiving and Invoice functions.

  • Complete the PCard reconciliation process in Oracle, with notations as to curatorial unit, author, title, POL, and invoice number:

COL HYD Lettres-Patentes de Menteur (POL-362401 / CROFT 4527)

  • Copy the PCard reconciliation and attach it electronically to the invoice (or payment confirmation), and upload it to the SharePoint instance for current purchases:

  • Forward this file  to HCL Financial.


In some instances, Curators may wish to order an item using their own PCard. This is not recommended, but is at times unavoidable.

In these cases, the Curator should bring the material, invoice (annotated with fund information) and description, as well as PCard reconciliation print-out to the TSL. 

The TSL will:

  • Have the shipment entered in the Incoming Collections Log.

  • Create bib, holdings, and order records in Alma.

  • Review the PCard printout and relay editing info to the Curator for the revision of the PCard reconciliation.

  • Process the invoice in Alma, and either catalog the material (in the case of contemporary material), or add it to the Rare Books queue.

  • Copy the PCard reconciliation and attach it electronically to the invoice (or payment confirmation), and upload it to the SharePoint instance for current purchases.

  • Forward the file  to HCL Financial.


The Curator is responsible for any updates to the PCard reconciliation in Oracle, and for submitting the necessary paperwork to HCL Financial.

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