2.1. Getting Started with Acquisitions

Last Updated 05/06/2024

Acquisitions in Evergreen

Acquisitions allows you to order materials, track the expenditure of your collections funds, track invoices and set up policies for manual claiming. In this chapter, we’re going to be describing how to use the most essential functions of acquisitions in the Evergreen system.

When should libraries use acquisitions?

When you want to track spending of your collections budget.
When you want to use Evergreen to place orders electronically with your vendors.
When you want to import large batches of records to quickly get your on-order titles into the system.

If your library simply wants to add on-order items to the catalog so that patrons can view and place holds on titles that have not yet arrived, acquisitions may be more than you need. Adding those on-order records via cataloging is a simpler option that works well for this use case.

Below are the basic administrative settings to be configured to get started with acquisitions. At a minimum, a library must configure Funding Sources, Funds, and Providers to use acquisitions.

Acquisitions Library Settings

Several settings in the Library Settings area of the Administration module pertain to functions in the Acquisitions module. You can access these settings by clicking Administration → Local Administration → Library Settings Editor.

Delete bib if all copies are deleted via Acquisitions line item cancellation - If you cancel a line item, then all of the on order copies in the catalog are deleted. If, when you cancel a line item, you also want to delete the bib record, then set this setting to TRUE.
Rollover encumbrances only - Allow funds to be rolled over without bringing the money along. This makes money left in the old fund disappear, modeling its return to some outside entity.
Default circulation modifier - This modifier would be applied to items that are created in the acquisitions module.
Default copy location - This copy location would be applied to items that are created in the acquisitions module.
Fund Spending Limit for Block - When the amount remaining in the fund, including spent money and encumbrances, goes below this percentage, attempts to spend from the fund will be blocked.
Fund Spending Limit for Warning - When the amount remaining in the fund, including spent money and encumbrances, goes below this percentage, attempts to spend from the fund will result in a warning to the staff.
Rollover Distribution Formulae Funds - When set to true, during fiscal rollover, all distribution formulae will update to use new funds.
Set copy creator as receiver - When receiving a copy in acquisitions, set the copy "creator" to be the staff that received the copy.
Temporary barcode prefix - Temporary barcode prefix for items that are created in the acquisitions module.
Temporary call number prefix - Temporary call number prefix for items that are created in the acquisitions module.
Upload Default Match Set - Default match set to use during ACQ file upload. A value of "Cardinal Match" as been set at the consortium level.
Upload Default Min. Quality Ratio - Default minimum quality ration used during ACQ file upload. We recommend setting a value of "0"

Initial Configuration

Before beginning to use Acquisitions, review the following options:

Cancel/Suspend Reasons (optional)
Claiming (optional)
Currency Types (defaults exist)
Distribution Formulas (optional)
EDI Accounts (optional)
Exchange Rates (defaults exist)
Fund Sources and Funds (required)
Invoice Types (defaults exist) and Invoice Payment Methods
Line Item Features (optional)
Merge Overlay Profiles and Record Match Sets (set by consortium)
Providers (required)

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