Transfer launches new Enhanced Transfer Alerting Service

Transfer, the UKSG-sponsored initiative to create a Code of Practice to follow when journals are transferred between publishers, is delighted to announce the release of its Enhanced Transfer Alerting Service (ETAS).

ETAS is a rapid alerting service that will allow publishers involved in a journal transfer to notify the various stakeholders by providing a standardised set of information relating to the exchange. This information will then be hosted in a searchable database, providing a simple and easily accessible way for librarians and other groups to find out about journal transfers involving the 36 currently endorsing publishers.

ETAS is the latest development from the Transfer Working Group and is a partnership of JISC, Mimas, UKSG and Cranfield University. It will replace the existing Transfer alerting service, which was not linked to a database. Data from the old alerting service system will also be migrated to ETAS. 

Commenting on the new service, Elizabeth Winter, co-chair of the Transfer Working Group and Electronic Resources Coordinator at Georgia Institute of Technology, said: “Keeping up with journal transfers is always a struggle. My colleagues and I have desired a database of transfer information for a long while, so I'm delighted that the project partners were able to bring this to fruition. I hope serials and e-resources librarians everywhere will agree that it is useful”.

The new service is now live at http://www.jusp.mimas.ac.uk/etas/. For more information please contact jusp@mimas.ac.uk

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About Transfer:

Established in 2006, the Transfer Code of Practice has been endorsed by 36 publishers, including Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell and Springer. All of the publishers have agreed, wherever possible, to use the Code when managing and communicating journal transfers between themselves. A Working Group, comprising publishers, librarians and intermediaries, oversees the development of the Code and associated activities. Later this year the Working Group will introduce an updated Code of Practice that builds on the work already done and the changes that have taken place regarding online journal delivery since the Group was established.

About the ETAS partners:

JISC (www.jisc.ac.uk) is the UK's technology consortium for higher and further education and skills. JISC provides advice, guidance and resources to help institutions make the best use of innovative technology. As part of that remit, JISC supports the UKSG to help information professionals work smarter for the benefit of UK education and research.

Mimas (mimas.ac.uk) is an organisation of experts. Its role is to support the advancement of knowledge, powering world-class research and teaching. As a national data centre based at The University of Manchester, Mimas hosts a significant number of the UK's research information assets – and builds applications to help people make the most of this rich resource. Mimas has a longstanding relationship with JISC, developing services that support teaching, learning and research, and strong connections with research councils, especially the ESRC.

UKSG (www.uksg.org) exists to connect the knowledge community and encourage the exchange of ideas on scholarly communication. It is the only organisation spanning the wide range of interests and activities across the scholarly information community of librarians, publishers, intermediaries and technology vendors.

Cranfield University. Positioned between traditional universities and business and industry, Cranfield University combines the academic rigour and long-term perspective of a university with the commercial and business focus of industry. Cranfield educates students at postgraduate level on both professional development and degree-awarding courses bringing a range of multidisciplinary skills to bear in addressing a number of fields including: aerospace, automotive, energy, environment, healthcare, manufacturing, management, security and defence. The Library and Information Service has a record of contributing to the community via involvement in a number of JISC funded research projects including Journals Usage Statistics Portal (JUSP) and Institutional Repository Usage Statistics (IRUS).