Updated Invoice Statements
We have updated our US invoice statements to display US sales tax rates and totals.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Publishers
- Institutions
- Resellers
New Columns in Pub Comp Statements
Starting January 2021, Publisher Comp statements now include two new columns:
- VST DIST ID - Manage ID for Distributor
- IA CPID - Special IA ISBN
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Publishers
Markup Feature: Android
We have added Markup on Bookshelf version 9.4 as an Android beta feature.
Details:
- Markup beta is available only in PDF-style books using Bookshelf version 9.4 running Android version 5+.
- While in the Markup panel, some reader features (such as the top and bottom reader toolbars and page swipe and zoom gestures) will not be available.
- Marks are saved automatically and will sync across your Android devices.
- Provide feedback as you use the tool so that we can continue to improve.
- https://support.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062311994
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
- Instructors
Apple Silicon Support for Bookshelf: Mac
We have added Bookshelf support for Macs with Apple Silicon.
Details:
- We have added Bookshelf support for Apple Silicon using the Rosetta 2 technology.
- Native support for Apple Silicon will be released in an upcoming version of Bookshelf.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
- Instructors
Metadata Preflight Messaging
Upload has implemented metadata preflight messaging. The goal for this preflight step is to catch most error cases that result in a user receiving no email response from Manage.
Details:
- Each failed file will get its own preflight report. In the example below, the sheet contains the extra column headers “badcolumn1” and “badcolumn2.” The user must hit “Cancel” and remove the extra information before resubmitting.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Publisher Admins
- Institutional Admins
"Date Accepted" & "Accepted by" Added to Institution Collection Details Screen
Based on customer feedback, the Explore Admin tool will now show the date that an offer was accepted and the individual who accepted the offer.
Details
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Institutional Admins
- Publisher Admins
Shortcuts Swimlane Added to Explore Collections
A new swimlane called Shortcuts has been added to the bottom of the Bookshelf library and features six free collections of books.
- Literature- Free access to 50+ classics from Shakespeare to Twain
- OpenStax- Free access to high-quality, peer-reviewed e-textbooks across a range of subjects
- Philosophy- Free access to dozens of classics from Plato to Walden
- History & Social Science- Free access to a collection of key titles
- Essential US Court Cases- Free access to 500+ legal opinions on historic cases
- Math & Science - Free access to dozens of classic math and science e-textbooks
Details:
- This new swimlane will appear at the bottom of the library:
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
- Instructors
First Roster Iteration: Individual Users
Explore Admins can now enable “rostering” for users. This provides another method of authentication into content. Institutional admins add the email address of individual users to access collections adopted through Explore. Institutional admins can select “Rostering integration” which will allow administrators to add users through the new Admin tab in Bookshelf.
Details:
- A new tab will appear with the option to copy and paste users.
- https://success.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500002094762-Integrate-Explore-With-Your-Student-Roster
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Instituitonal Admins
Institution List
The Explore Admin site will now offer the ability to filter the institution list by the following criteria:
- Type: Trials, Subscriptions, or Open Offers
- Status:
- Expiring Soon (within 30 days) or Expire
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Institutional Admins
Better Error Handling
In addition to other LTI 1.3 features, Launch now has better error messaging. In addition to other LTI 1.3 features, Launch now has better error messaging.
Details:
- A few examples of these new error messages are:
Who Does This Change Affect?
- LMS Admins
- Learners
- Instructors
Expanded Permissions for Deep Linking Tool
We have expanded access to the LTI Advantage Deep Link tool for non-course level admin roles with the LMS.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Instructors
- LMS Admins
Compare and Purchase License Check
We have implemented a check to confirm if a user has a license for a “Compare and Purchase” item; if the user does have a license, this will allow the user to SSO directly to Bookshelf.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
Multi Student Types – Verba Connect
We now offer multi-role support in the VitalSource Launch Course Dashboard. This allows a user to have both the student and instructor experience, in different classes, at the same time.
Details:
- Here is an example of both the student and instructor views for the same user:
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
- Instructors
Google Login Authentication
We have added support for the hd parameter to represent hosted domains in OIDC authentication workflows. This is relevant for Google OIDC authentication.
Details:
- This provides the ability to limit authentication based on users belonging to a certain domain
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
- Instructors
- LMS Admins
Special Characters
We have improved company search with better handling of special characters within search terms and by trimming leading spaces from provided search terms.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Institutional Admins
- Publisher Admins
Banner Removal
To provide users with a clean and streamlined experience, we have removed some banners and replaced them with toast icons or inline messages.
Details:
- Some of the updates include:
- Personalized “My Bookshelf” to display a user’s first name:
-
- Page level feedback for errors:
-
- Toast icons that can be dismissed and that have a checkbox to have cookies not show again:
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Publisher Admins
- Institutional Admins
- Learners
- Instructors
Creation of South American Stores
We’ve created two new stores for our South American region, in Peru and Argentina.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
Two Factor Authentication
As a part of VitalSource’s ongoing security efforts, we have enabled two-factor authentication for publisher admins and publisher reps.
Details:
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Publisher Admins
- Publisher Reps
Enable International Purchasing Enabled for Australia
We have enabled International Purchasing in the Australia Store for students displaced by COVID-19. Students who are attending institutions in Australia or New Zealand but are not in the country due to the global pandemic are able to purchase their etexts when they enter their institution in the billing form.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
Hard-Wired Price of the Bartleby Bundle Updated
The Bartleby Bundle offer is now $39.99, and all places on the store and all references to the percent of savings have been updated to 50%.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
VAT Changes for Germany and Saudi Arabia
We have adjusted the tax rates for the German and Saudi regional stores:
Details:
- German
-
Saudi tax is changed to 15%.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Learners
Meet Students Where They Are Learning with Launch Complete
Launch Complete combines retail offers from your store’s e-commerce with Inclusive Access (IA) in a single LMS-based experience so students can access, shop and record opt-in/out decisions for their course materials in one fell swoop.
Details:
https://learn.vitalsource.com/rs/977-GBP-096/images/LaunchComplete_2021_final.pdf
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Campus stores
- Learners
Scale Affordability and Access with New Verba Connect Feature
Check out the new “sort by” option under the “explore and create” tab in Verba Connect.
Details:
-
This feature allows users to sort by the most impactful item level savings, or the largest enrollment based on the quantity-to-provide/estimated enrollment. This helps stores make strategic decisions on the courses moving to IA that provide the largest impact to affordability.
Who Does This Change Affect?
- Campus Stores