Points to consider when purchasing books with research funds:

The following are points to pay special attention to when purchasing books with research funds. In general, they follow the rules for purchasing items.

Purchasing books

When purchasing books through the library, please submit a “Book purchase request” through the accounting service system[JPN]. In addition, a 10% discount will be applied when purchasing new Japanese books through the library.
Please make sure that the “expense category” is set to “Purchase request (books)” when entering the information.
If you have directly ordered from a bookstore, please make sure to specify the “expense category” as “Faculty order (books)” to prevent duplicate orders, and specify the payee. If the payee is not registered, please contact the staff at the library that supports your department.
For detailed instructions on operating the accounting service system, please refer to “accounting service system user page”[JPN]（access on-campus only). The method of inputting book purchase requests is described in the “basic manual”.

Purchasing used books and taking advantage of membership discounts, etc.

The library can do business with many domestic second-hand book stores. If you wish to purchase used books, please first ask the bookstore to put the books on hold, and then enter the book purchase request, specifying the expense category as “Faculty order (books)”. In addition, it is permissible to purchase used books with corporate credit cards.
For other cases involving special treatment such as membership discounts, promotional pricing, or direct sales from publishers, please make a note in the remarks field of the purchase request form.

Amazon Business

To set up an Amazon Business account, please contact your graduate school’s accounting section.

  1. Amazon Business cannot generally be used to purchase new Japanese books. This is because they do not qualify for the usual discount (10%) that applies to purchases made through the library. However, if you have an urgent need, you may use it, but please specify the reason in the remarks field of the request.
  2. There is no time limit for use, but prompt accounting processing is required after delivery. Please be careful about using it at the end of the fiscal year.
  3. Purchasing overseas books or used books from Amazon Marketplaces with overseas shipping is not recommended due to the high occurrence of delivery accidents and the possibility of being more expensive when including shipping costs.
  4. If items shipped from overseas do not arrive after one month, consider measures such as refunds.

    5. How to proceed

    After ordering books from Amazon Business, please submit a “Book purchase request” through the accounting service system.
    During this process, be sure to select the following options (failure to do so may result in duplicate orders):
    Expense category: Faculty order (books)
    Recipient code: 8003475
    Payee: Amazon Japan (LLC) (dedicated to Amazon Business)

    When the books arrive, please bring the following two items to the library that supports your department:
    1. The book you purchased
    2. A delivery receipt (printed from “Your Order” > “Print Delivery Receipt”)

    Kindle purchases
    Please contact your graduate school’s accounting section.
    Reference: Purchasing e-books and e-journals

    Using corporate credit cards

    Corporate credit cards can be used to purchase overseas books from domestic online bookstores or used books. They can also be used for local purchases during business trips.

    1. Corporate cards generally cannot be used for the purchase of new Japanese books. This is because they do not qualify for the usual discount (10%) applied to purchases made through the library. However, it is acceptable if there is a discount of 10% or more through membership discounts, etc., or if it is urgently needed, but please specify the reason when applying.
    2. Purchasing overseas books or used books from overseas online bookstores (including Amazon Marketplace) is not recommended due to the high occurrence of delivery accidents, the possibility of being more expensive when including shipping costs, and the occurrence of import fees deposit refunds.
    3. Credit card billing from secondhand bookstores or overseas bookstores may take time. If there is no billing within the fiscal year and the books have not arrived, you cannot purchase them within the fiscal year. If there is an invoice, you need to process it within the fiscal year even if the books have not arrived. Please ensure to order them in a timely manner.

      4. How to proceed

      Enter an “Expense reimbursement” request through the accounting service system and print the expense reimbursement application form. Select the expense category “Corporate credit card (books)” when entering.

      Bring the following three items to the library that supports your department:
      1. A printout of the expense reimbursement application form
      2. The book you purchased
      3. An eligible invoice or eligible simplified invoice. If it is not issued by an eligible invoice issuer, a categorically specified invoice is required. (Documents such as a “delivery note” or “receipt” are acceptable as long as the requirements are met.)

      Advance payments

      Advance payments may be allowed if failure to pay the payment in cash would disrupt business operations, or if a corporate card cannot be used. If a corporate card is available, please use it as a general rule and be careful not to make advance payments if unnecessary.

      How to proceed

      Within 5 business days of the advance payment, enter an “Expense reimbursement” application through the accounting service system and print the expense reimbursement application form. When entering, select the expense category “Advance payment (books)” and be sure to include specific reasons for the advance payment in the remarks field.

      Please bring the following three items with you to the library that supports your department:
      1. A printout of the expense reimbursement application form
      2. The book you purchased
      3. An eligible invoice or eligible simplified invoice. If it is not issued by an eligible invoice issuer, a categorically specified invoice is required. (Documents such as a “delivery note” or “receipt” re acceptable as long as the requirements are met.)

      If payment is made by bank transfer, please also include the transfer details.
      If payment is made in a foreign currency, please also include the details on the foreign currency exchange.
      If credit card payment is required, please use a corporate credit card. If a personal credit card must be used for payment, please also attach a copy of the card statement.

      Purchasing e-books and e-journals

      For shared e-books and e-journals for educational and research purposes, the library handles the purchasing process. E-books and e-journals that cannot be jointly used, assuming individual use purchased by departments. These include:
      – Individual subscriptions to e-books or e-journals, or the purchase of individual articles (pay-per-view).
      – E-books or e-journals sold for personal use, such as through the App Store, Kindle store, etc.
      – Content sold to individuals, such as the web versions of Asahi Shimbun or Newsweek, without institutional subscription pricing.

      Kobe University Library resource management (assets/consumables)

      Materials intended for educational and research purposes that are to be used for one year or more are generally considered to be assets. For the handling of books in research laboratories, please refer to the following examples.
      It should be noted that materials designated as assets are generally expected to be returned to the library upon retirement. However, in cases where individuals move to other universities or research institutions to continue their research, it may be possible to transfer the materials. If you wish to do so, please contact the library that supports your department.

      Classification Target Examples
      Assets Materials to be used for one year or more Educational and research books
      Books for students Books in browsing rooms
      AV materials CDs, DVDs, videos, etc.
      Mooks (serialized magazine-like books) Newton Mook, Nikkei BP Mook, etc.
      Pocket-sized books Iwanami, Shincho, Kadokawa, etc.
      Other books considered to be in use for one year or more
      Consumables Other than the above(Materials to be used for less than 1 year) Periodicals before binding
      Newspapers (except condensed or cumulative issues)
      Various publications with topical or seasonal relevance
      Materials focused primarily on advertising and promotion Tourist guides, etc.
      Items that are frequently updated or have a short lifespan, causing them to depreciate in value Computer manuals, phone directories, timetables, travel guides, etc.
      Materials with sequential and cumulative revisions Materials revised annually (such as legal compendia like “Hanrei Roppo” published annually)
      Materials of more comprehensive content that are currently being published or will be published in the future. Offprints, preliminary editions, bulletins, etc.
      Materials intended to be detached or written on Sheet music, language exercise materials, etc.
      Items that are physically difficult to use for one year or more due to significantly frequent use in classes or experiments Experimental manuals, etc. (Please describe the content that is used.)
      Materials with significantly lightweight or fragile bindings that make it difficult to manage them appropriately as objects Clippings, leaflets, etc.