Oxford University Press (OUP) is closing its systems for “a number of weeks” from mid-March to mid-April, during which time the publisher will not be able to process sales orders or invoices, issues purchase orders, or respond as quickly to customer and supplier queries.

Shipments from OUP’s UK and US warehouses will also be disrupted during the same period and some purchase options on its e-commerce sites will also be offline.

The changes are happening as part of OUP’s efforts to modernise and streamline its back-office systems and processes with the introduction of a new SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which it says will enable “consistent, standardised processes in areas such as procurement, inventory, manufacturing, supply chain, finance and customer service”. The majority of OUP’s digital services, platforms and products are unaffected by the changes.

A spokesperson told The Bookseller: “At OUP, we produce a wide range of products, including journals, monographs, reference works, music, textbooks and children’s books, and make these available across a range of languages, often in both print and digital formats.

“OUP is releasing a new enterprise resource planning system for both the UK and US to align our back-end systems and processes so that we can work as effectively as possible.

“To minimise the risk of any issues with our services after the ERP upgrade has happened, we are conducting a careful, controlled pause of our different systems, during a quieter time of the year, before moving to the new system.”

OUP said it “recognise[s] some customers may be impacted in the short-term" and said it has “updated them where necessary, including more specific updates since January”.

“We have also taken steps to help customers plan ahead, including supplying them with our bestselling titles for the shutdown period and working with wholesalers in both the US and UK to ensure stock and backlist titles will be available. Finally, we can confirm that our team will still be on hand to respond to any customer queries and provide support during the shutdown period.”

From the Bookseller: Mar 6, 2024 by Sian Bayley

An initial collection from Brepols international academic publisher includes all e-books published between 2017 and 2023, now available for purchase through the Torrossa Digital Library and Bookstore.

Torrossa and Brepols are pleased to announce their new collaboration which brings many of the publisher’s most recent publications to the Torrossa Digital Library and Bookstore. The e-books are available both for institutional purchase by libraries and research institutes, and for purchase by individuals for personal use.

Over 800 e-books have already been added to the Torrossa catalogue, all published between 2017 and 2023 and covering a range of subjects, from linguistics and literature to history, theology and social sciences. Further additions will be made to the catalogue in the future, as new publications are released in digital format.

“We are delighted to welcome Brepols to Torrossa”, stated Ludovic Lautussier, Director of Digital Sales. “Their catalogue offers a wealth of outstanding academic publications which we are confident will be enthusiastically received by subscribing institutions and indivudual users alike.”

An international academic publisher founded in 1796, Brepols is committed to producing high-quality, distinguished publications that will have a lasting scholarly impact. An independent firm, it plays an active role in the scholarly community, running its own research centre in Turnhout, Belgium. It publishes in the humanities, with a particular focus in history, archaeology, history of the arts, language and literature, and critical editions of source works.

For further information contact info@torrossa.com.

Due to the growth of the company, Erasmus Boekhandel BV is looking for several new employees. 

Erasmus Boekhandel BV has been around for 90 years and specializes in the supply of academic books and journals to academic libraries in Europe and the rest of the world. We have more than 60 employees with offices in Amsterdam and Paris, and collaborate with preeminent Italian library supplier Casalini Libri. The Erasmus working environment is collegial and informal.

Ordering and invoicing department, full-time

This staff member is responsible for the fast and accurate processing of incoming orders, the follow up of orders, and the accurate production of invoices.

French- and German-speaking customer service, full-time

These team members are responsible for the daily contact with customers They play an active role in providing efficient and innovate solutions to meet our customers’ needs.

Journals department, full-time

This staff member is responsible for processing of journal orders, publishers' invoices and incoming journals. 

Candidate profile

• MBO+ level of thinking;
• work experience in bookshops or publishing is recommended;
• good command of Dutch or English;
• for customer service vacancies we are looking for employees with German or French as their mother tongue. For the other positions, some knowledge of German, French, Spanish and/or Italian is an advantage;
• practical attitude with commercial and customer-friendly insight;
• proficient in Microsoft Office;
• team spirit and collegial attitude;
• affinity with books and/or journals;
• In principle, these are full-time positions, but part-time (at least 4 days a week) is negotiable.

We offer for all vacancies:

• a varied and interesting job close to the center of Amsterdam;
• employment on the basis of the Collective Labour Agreement for the Bookshop;
• salary above the scales laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement.

Written applications with CV should be sent to:
Managing director, Erasmus Boekhandel BV, P.O. Box 19140, 1000 GC Amsterdam
Email: erasmus@erasmusbooks.nl

Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel is delighted to announce that its merger with Houtschild Internationale Boekhandel will come into effect on 1st June 2023. The combined company, under the leadership of current Managing Director, Dirk Raes, will continue to operate under the name Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BV, with headquarters in Amsterdam.

The union of the two companies brings together their long-established expertise in academic book supply, in order to reinforce their strengths, reaffirm the range of services on offer, and remain competitive in an increasingly complex industry. Houtschild customers, while maintaining their existing customer service contacts, will now have the option to benefit from additional services, such as Erasmus' New Title Information, covering forthcoming academic titles in a wide range of subjects from the Benelux, France, Scandinavia, Germany, the UK and the USA, and skill in selecting titles for supply on approval plan.

"We are delighted to welcome on board our Houtschild colleagues and excited about the opportunities our fusion presents", stated Managing Director, Dirk Raes. "We are confident that the merger will enable us to further increase our efficiency and allow us to provide the best possible services to our customers."

Founded in Amsterdam in 1934, Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel has since become a preeminent name in the international book trade, specializing in the areas of art and art history, and providing a comprehensive service to university, research and specialist libraries. Its subsidiary in Paris, Librairie Erasmus, founded in 1990, guarantees efficient delivery of French publications.

Since its foundation in the Netherlands in 1974, Houtschild International Booksellers has made a name for itself as an outstanding supplier of academic books and journals from all countries, in all languages, specialising in the supply of English and foreign-language European publications to academic, corporate and government libraries.

For further information on the merger and what it means for your library, contact your customer services representative or write to us at erasmus@erasmusbooks.nl.

What is the official, registered name and address of the merged company?

Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BV 
Veemarkt 207
1019CJ Amsterdam 
The Netherlands

Phone: +31-20-535 34 33
Fax: +31-20-620 67 99
E-mail: erasmus@erasmusbooks.nl

Chamber of Commerce: 33044879 (Kamer van Koophandel Amsterdam)
VAT number: NL007025117B01
EORI number: NL007025117

For Houtschild customers:

How long will the Houtschild bank accounts remain open?

• You can continue to pay into the current Houtschild bank accounts until the end of August 2023.  After that date these accounts will be closed.  If you prefer, payments can already be made to the Erasmus accounts.  Please always make sure when paying to mention the invoice numbers concerned. 

What happens with my outstanding orders?

• Outstanding monographic orders ordered at Houtschild will remain recorded and supplied by Erasmus when the books become available. 
• All your standing orders at Houtschild are being transferred to Erasmus.  Future volumes will be sent from Amsterdam with Erasmus invoices. 
• Journals continue to be sent directly from the publisher if such is the case now.  Renewals will be handled by Erasmus later this year. 
• Journals with a consolidation service at Houtschild will transfer to a consolidation at Erasmus.  Renewals will also be handled by Erasmus later this year. 

 How to order books?

• Via ordinary mail: please send your orders to the above mentioned physical address 
• Via e-mail: please send your orders to erasmus@erasmusbooks.nl
• Via our websites www.erasmusbooks.nl or www.erasmus.fr (for French books only): please contact us in case you have not yet access to our website.  We will create a profile for you and send the instructions on how to login. 
• Via EDI: for those clients who currently send their orders via EDI to Houtschild, you will be contacted shortly with further details  

Where should returns be sent to?

• Please contact your current Houtschild contact for further information. 

I have accounts both with Houtschild and Erasmus. What will happen to my accounts?

• The Houtschild account will be migrated to Erasmus and, for now, remain separate using the Houtschild account number. At a later stage Erasmus might contact you about merging your accounts.

How to reach my Houtschild contact?

• Please be informed that all current Houtschild e-mails remain valid for the foreseeable future.   

 For Erasmus customers:

The merger of Erasmus and Houtschild will have no consequences for Erasmus customers.

For Publishers:

What happens with the Houtschild orders:

• During May Houtschild will stop ordering from suppliers. Books for Houtschild customers will be ordered by Erasmus
• On June 1 all outstanding Houtschild orders will be migrated to Erasmus. After that date all books should be sent to Erasmus, see below for addresses.

Where should monographs, standing orders and journals be shipped to?

For books and standing orders, please use these addresses.

For journals, if the journal is being sent to Houtschild in Rijswijk, please change the address to Erasmus. If the journals issues are sent directly to another address, please continue using that address.

• Main Netherlands address:

Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BV
Veemarkt 207
1019CJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

For Dutch publishers, aansluitnummer Vervoercentrale: 7121076

• If you have been using a delivery address in the USA, UK, or Germany, please use these:

USA:
Woodland Group – Media Division
For: Erasmus Amsterdam / IBS / AIR
560-596 Bercik Street
Suite #1
Elizabeth, NJ 07201

United Kingdom:
WBS / IBS
Attn. Erasmus Boekhandel, Amsterdam
Dollymans Farm
Doublegate Lane, Rawreth
Wickford, Essex
SS11 8UD
United Kingdom

Germany:
International Book Service GmbH & Co. KG
Attn. Erasmus 1019CJ Amsterdam
Benzstraße 21
48619 Heek
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Germany

If you have any questions or if we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.