Cooperative Acquisitions Program
Nairobi Office administers the African Cooperative Acquisitions Program (AfriCAP) to acquire materials for the Library of Congress and other participating academic, research and public libraries in the United States, Canada and Europe; this is done on a cost-recovery basis, with participants depositing funds in advance of receipt of materials.
Participants may elect to receive monographs according to a set of profiles established by the office. The profiles are arranged by Country and Subject, although certain Subjects are covered at the regional level for multiple countries. Profile costs are estimates based on prior years’ activity and expected acquisition trends, but may not be the actual or final cost. Serials, including newspapers, are selected on a title-by-title basis and are priced at the cost of an annual subscription. Selections will be the estimated cost of publications. A percentage is added to these estimated costs of publications to cover indirect and overhead charges.
As the office acquires materials, funds in the participants’ accounts are drawn down to reflect activity paid for. Nairobi Office sends quarterly statements to participating libraries on the status of their funds. These reports include the number of pieces on order and purchased, the amounts disbursed and obligated, and the balance in the participant account as of the date of the report.
If the amount billed proves insufficient to cover the costs of materials, the Nairobi Office will submit a supplementary bill to the participant to cover the shortfall or will stop ordering books for the participant depending upon the instructions of the participant. As a government agency, the Library of Congress is prohibited by law from extending credit to participants.
For further information, please contact to Nairobi Office at [email protected].
