Earlier this week Cambridge University Press (CUP) experienced a cybersecurity incident that has affected their IT systems. This will cause a delay in the supply of orders. CUP has indicated that they will not be able to supply books in the coming three weeks. We will provide you with updates as they are made available.

Please find here the official statement from CUP:

Cambridge University Press & Assessment has experienced a cybersecurity incident

We were able to respond to this incident quickly and took immediate action to contain it and limit its impact. As part of this action, we have had to take some of our systems offline as a precautionary measure and are working to restore these as quickly as possible.

Most customer-facing platforms remain live and there has been no impact on the current exam series.

We are also aware that a group has claimed that data related to our organisation has been published online, and we are working to verify this claim. We are continuing to investigate with the support of external experts and the relevant authorities, including the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.

Our investigation into what happened remains ongoing and the experts we are working with have advised that it will take some time to complete owing to its complexity. We will provide further updates as soon as we can.

https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/technical-incident

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