Portal Parlance

We have attempted to clarify and simplify the information concerning your book orders that is reported to you by the new application.

Each adoption goes through a series of 3 steps once you have adopted it. Immediately after you place your order, that text carries a status of “Submitted.” This is the bookstore’s flag that a new order has been placed. After we place that adoption into our electronic ordering system, that adoption’s status will change to “Pending.” Each night, our computers here at the bookstore speak with the computers that control the portal application. If the computers find that the information in both records match, the status of your adoption will change to “Processed,” and indication to the faculty and the administrative assistants that the order has been received and processed by the bookstore.

The “Total Avail” field now describes the total number of copies (both new and used) of a textbook that was available at the bookstore as of 3 a.m. that day. Please keep in mind that it is natural (and indeed, preferable!) for this number to decrease as classes commence – it means that students are purchasing texts. Secondly, please understand that a book may be adopted for more than one course – if a number seems high, it is very likely that many classes are using that text.