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User Guide

Introduction

Consortia

  • A Search Consortium is a group of Higher Education institutions in which each Search Consortium Member is qualified to use SSS based on its own credentials.
  • Search Consortium Members are SSS users affiliated with a Search Consortium who have signed and submitted their Search Consortium Member/Lead Agreements to Search Customer Service.
  • A Search Consortium Lead is the single SSS user within a Search Consortium designated to place orders and responsible for payment of fees; only one user may be activated for a Search Consortium account.
  • The Search Consortium Member/Lead Agreement is the document each Search Consortium Member and Lead must sign each year to qualify as a Search Consortium; the document describes Search Consortium eligibility and usage policies, and allows one Search Consortium Member from each Search Consortium to be designated as the Search Consortium Lead.
  • All Consortium Members and the Consortium Lead must sign and return the Search Consortium Agreement to Search Customer Service annually.
  • The Search Consortium Agreement expires and Search Consortium Member accounts will be inactivated each year on September 1.
  • The Search Consortium Lead must provide an exact rendition of the intended communication and the most recent communication (if applicable) before SSS orders will be fulfilled.
  • Each Search Consortium Member account must be current—i.e. not past due more than 120 days—in order for the Search Consortium account to be approved, and to remain current.
  • If one Search Consortium Member is past due more than 120 days, the member and the Search Consortium will be inactivated.
  • Search Consortium Leads will be sent reauthorization reminders via email two months prior to the scheduled inactivation date.
  • The reminder will include a link or attachment containing the Search Consortium Member/Lead Agreement.
  • Search Consortium Leads must print and distribute the Search Consortium Member/Lead Agreement to all consortium members.
  • Search Consortium Members must sign the Search Consortium Member/Lead Agreement and return them to the Search Consortium Lead.
  • Search Consortium Leads must return all signed Search Consortium Member and Lead Agreements, an exact rendition of the intended communication for the upcoming year, and a copy of the most recent communication (if applicable) to Search Customer Service in one single dispatch before the Search Consortium will be reactivated.
  • Search Consortia may use SSS only to promote the Search Consortium Members equally within the body of each student communication (rather than promoting one Member in one communication, then another member in a subsequent communication).
  • Individual consortium members may not use SSS data acquired by the consortium unless the student has responded to the consortium communication indicating an interest in the individual consortium member.