Interesting that this question should come up now.  We are currently involved in a project to verify that our e-journals are listed in the various linking resources and that the access we post is what we have.  There are three of us engaged.

We go to the website and check.  We’ve received information from publishers about coverage, but they change their minds and forget to tell us.  One has a declaration on the website that the content for which we have paid could change without warning.

I appreciate that some publishers indicate with icons which content is accessible for us, but some make us go to an article to verify.  It takes a LOT of time and I do wish that the websites were friendlier.

Even less friendly are the publishers that list all their content alphabetically so that it’s impossible to see when the content begins.  I usually have to search their website for the journal title and the year that I suspect that coverage begins.

I know that publishers have different objectives than pleasing librarians when they plan their websites, but do we use them that much differently than our patrons?

Oh, by the way, we’re on the titles beginning with F.

Cheers!

Mary

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Skwor, Jeanette
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 9:57 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Confirming E-access dates

We are discussing how best to determine exactly what period of access we are supposed to have for each of our electronic titles.  The thought has been put forth to contact the publisher - that publishers would have a set period for all of their titles and we could go by that information.

Skeptic that I am, I am a) not trusting publishers actually do have such a policy at the ready, and b) that they do not change it at will.  I am willing, and hoping, actually, to be wrong.

So - looking to the cumulated wisdom of Serialsters - any information, thoughts, experience you are willing to share.  If you have set about determining that sort of information, how have you done it, and how successful have you been?  Time involved?  Other thoughts?

Thanks,

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept., Cofrin Library
University of WI-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI  54311-7001

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."
Anne Herbert, The Whole Earth Catalog