I agree that it's a shame that DPV doesn't feel like they can safely send those materials to the US, but that says more about the reality of our current administration than it does about them as a publisher. They do have the right (and, arguably, responsibility) to ensure their ability to continue publishing for their main audience in their home country by mitigating their legal risks abroad. As far as the ALA BOR goes, your library isn't actively removing or limiting these materials, you're providing access to whatever you have available. With regard to fighting censorship I think there might be alternatives to cancelling the subscription since I assume that the content of Stern is otherwise useful for your users. I would think about how to label these issues in the OPAC and in your binding (assuming you bind them) to reflect that the publisher was unable to send them due to a fear of legal retaliation from our own officials, but I'm also a bit snarky that way. Maybe there's a way to turn this into something teachable and useful within the library itself. If this is a popular enough publication maybe it can become the foundation for an event where the issue is explained to users and their options (calling/emailing officials? social media campaigning?) along with the options and decisions of the library itself are outlined.

Liz Miraglia
Head, Books & Serials Metadata
UC San Diego

On Wed, Dec 13, 2017 at 9:43 AM, Wical, Stephanie Helen <wical@bu.edu> wrote:

I like Teresa’s suggestion.

 

I am dreaming, but it would be great if STERN decided to make the “controversial” content open access.  That might be an elegant work-around.

 

Best regards,

 

Stephanie

 

Stephanie H. Wical

Electronic Resources & Acquisitions Librarian

Mugar Memorial Library
Boston University

771 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

 

Phone:  617-358-3967

E-mail:   wical@bu.edu

 

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Teresa Imfeld
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 11:53 AM


To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

I applaud STERN magazine for being frank and honest with their answer.  God knows we have had little of that these days.  

 

Whether there is anything that can be done to encourage them to take a risk with distributing the issues in the U.S., I do not know.  Being a foreign publisher, I don't know what legal options within the U.S. are available for them if the issues are disputed (i.e., the ACLU).  But before trying to force the issue with them, I would go the route of working on a partnership with the publisher and, say, maybe, the ALA  (in advance of any dispute). 

 

all the best,

Teresa


Teresa Imfeld, MLIS

Serials, Acquisitions, & Cataloging Specialist

Warren Wilson College

Swannanoa, NC  28778
828-771-3898

 

On Wed, Dec 13, 2017 at 9:56 AM, Huffman, Jennifer <Jennifer.Huffman@uwsp.edu> wrote:

Hi everyone,

 

So I contacted DPV again (Stern Magazine’s supplier to the U.S.) and received this email below.  This sounds like censorship to me and DPV appears to be the source of it.  I’m including the entire email chain so you can see the context of the discussion.

 

I think this should be elevated.  What do you all think?

 

Jennifer Huffman

Serials Librarian

UW-Stevens Point

 

Dear Ms. Huffman,

 

Many thanks for your message concerning the STERN. Please allow us to offer a brief explanation for why you have not receive individual issues.

 

STERN magazine stands for critical reporting and does not shy away from any risk of legal dispute, such as might occur in individual cases and in which, in most cases, STERN is adjudged to be in the right.

 

Nevertheless, for decades now, STERN has made efforts to avoid any legal disputes in the United States as a matter of principle, even where we are confident of winning any such dispute. The reason behind this is the special legal costs scheme in the United States, whereby even in the case of a successful outcome, STERN might still be burdened with substantial procedural costs, without the defeated opponent having to provide any reimbursement. For this reason, where critical reports are concerned which involve persons institutions with jurisdiction in the USA, we always have to weigh up whether to distribute the magazines in the United States or not.

 

It is for this reason that at times in the past – and this includes the three issues you mentioned – we have made deliberate decisions not to distribute individual issues in the USA.

 

We understand that you are disappointed and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Nevertheless, we hope that you can understand the situation and that you will retain a positive connection to STERN magazine.

 

 

 

 

Bitte behalten Sie bei Ihrer Antwort Ihre ursprüngliche Anfrage/Nachricht bei, da wir Ihre Anfrage sonst nur mit Verzögerung bearbeiten können.

 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

 

 

Ihr Gruner + Jahr Kundenservice

 

DPV Deutscher Pressevertrieb GmbH

D-20080 Hamburg

 

Tel.: 040 - 5555 78 09

Fax: 040 - 5555 78 03

 

Kundenservice Ausland:

Tel.: ++49- 40 5555 78 09

Fax: ++49- 1805 - 8618002

 

 

__________________ 

DPV Deutscher Pressevertrieb GmbH, Sitz: Hamburg

AG Hamburg, HRB 97361

Geschäftsführer: Oliver Radtke (Sprecher der Geschäftsführung),

Christina Dohmann, Marco Graffitti, Dr. Michael Rathje

 

 

 

------------------

Original Message:

------------------

 

 

Hello,

 

As another follow up, Stern Magazin staff contacted me yesterday and said that DPV is their service provider responsible for delivering their magazine to subscribers.  They told me they never directed you to not deliver those issues to U.S. customers and that there is no reason for that.

 

GLP insists that they were told by the publisher that these 3 issues could not be sent to U.S. customers but offered no reason for that.

 

So it appears that DPV is the responsible entity and you offer no reason for this situation below.

 

Please follow up and explain why our issues, which we subscribed to and paid for in good faith, are not being sent as Stern Magazin says they were supposed to be.

 

Thank you for your response,

 

Jennifer Huffman

Serials Librarian

UW-Stevens Point 

From: Huffman, Jennifer 
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 9:34 AM
To: 'kundenservice@dpv.de' <kundenservice@dpv.de>
Subject: RE: (Ihre Ticketnummer: DE01-20564153) Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Hello,

 

As a follow up, I’m including a copy of the latest notice from GLP International about the publisher notifying U.S. customers that an issue will not be sent because the publisher has not made it available for export to the U.S.  Again, this is the third issue in 2017.

 

Also from the GLP website, I’m including a screen capture that identifies 2 of the Stern issues that are not being exported to the U.S. and no reason is being identified by the publisher for this.

 

Why are U.S. academic libraries not receiving these issues?  Please let me know when we will receive the missing issues.

 

Thank you,

Jennifer Huffman

Serials Librarian

UW-Stevens Point

 

From: Huffman, Jennifer 
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 9:21 AM
To: 'kundenservice@dpv.de' <kundenservice@dpv.de>
Subject: RE: (Ihre Ticketnummer: DE01-20564153) Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Hello,

 

We never received 2017 issues 20, 35, and 47 from Stern.  I believe these issues are available in other countries but not in U.S. libraries.  I’ve contacted the listserv for academic libraries here in the U.S. to confirm the missing issues are not just isolated to my institution.  Several other responding libraries have confirmed they have not received these issues.

 

Why are these not available to the U.S.?  How many more will you not be sending us?  My institution has subscribed to your magazine in good faith, only to find out that you are censoring the issues you send.

 

Thank you for a reply.

Jennifer Huffman

Serials Librarian

UW-Stevens Point

 

From: kundenservice@dpv.de [mailto:kundenservice@dpv.de]
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 2:33 AM
To: Huffman, Jennifer <Jennifer.Huffman@uwsp.edu>
Subject: Re: (Ihre Ticketnummer: DE01-20564153) Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Dear Mrs Huffman,

 

Thank you very much for your email.

 

The issue that you want to order sadly cannot be delivered to the United States. We are very sorry we cannot fulfill your request.

 

For further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Best regards

 

 

Yours Gruner + Jahr customer service

 

DPV Deutscher Pressevertrieb GmbH

D-20080 Hamburg

 

Tel.: 040 - 5555 78 09

Fax: 040 - 5555 78 03

 

Kundenservice Ausland:

Tel.: ++49- 40 5555 78 09

Fax: ++49- 1805 - 8618002

 

 

__________________ 

DPV Deutscher Pressevertrieb GmbH, Sitz: Hamburg

AG Hamburg, HRB 97361

Geschäftsführer: Oliver Radtke (Sprecher der Geschäftsführung),

Christina Dohmann, Marco Graffitti, Dr. Michael Rathje

 

 

 

------------------

Original Message:

------------------

 

 

Hello Stern Magazine,

 

My institution subscribes to Stern Magazine and we just received another notice from GLP International that we will not receive an issue from the publisher because it was not available for export to the United States.  Apparently, as compensation for the missing issues, our subscription to the magazine will be extended by the corresponding number of missing issues.  I have contacted GLP International and they offer no reason to not receiving the missing issues.

 

We have received this notice before from GLP International for previous missing issues and no explanation is given as to why we would not receive them.  However, when comparing the cover art of the missing issues, it appears that Gruner Und Jahr Ag & Co is censoring what is made available for export to the United States.

 

My institution is not interested in an extension of our subscription by the number of missing issues.  Instead, we are interested in receiving the missing issues that we subscribed to and have already paid for.

 

Please respond to my email with an explanation as to why you are censoring what is made available to my institution.  If no explanation is received, we will cancel our subscription and raise this issue about your title and censorship with the wider U.S. serials institution audience.

 

Thank you for your response,

Jennifer Huffman

Serials Librarian

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

 

 

From: Huffman, Jennifer
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2017 10:22 AM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: RE: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Thank you for the update Dusty. 

 

Two days ago Stern suggested that I contact DPV again.  Stern sent me this:

 

Hello Jennifer, thanks for your message. If you have any questions, please contact the DPV again. We are very sorry! Best regards

 

I told Stern that I have contacted everyone in this loop from Stern, DPV, and GLP and they each have told me they did not tell anyone to withhold these issues from U.S. subscribers.  So it seems like something is going on.

 

I have asked my Serials agent, Ebsco, to request the issues and they were told the same thing from GLP. 

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do now?  I did write back to DPV but have heard nothing back.

 

Jennifer

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Dusty Gorman
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2017 9:46 AM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

I received an interesting email from Harrassowitz this morning in regards to the missing 3 issues. Here is what they sent:

 

Unfortunately, GLP the US distributor of Der Stern had to extend your 2017 subscription term for 3 issues which were not delivered to the US. These were Nos. 20, 35 and 47. We tried to obtain copies on your behalf from the German distributor but could only get hold of No. 47. This issue will be forwarded from Wiesbaden to your library upon receipt. Please kindly note that we have requested an official statement from Der Stern. So far we have learned that it was the decision of the German publisher not to deliver the issues in question to the US. As soon we have received more detailed information, we will let you know.

 

Dusty

 

Dusty Gorman | Electronic Resources Librarian
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND
Collins Memorial Library
1500 N. Warner St. #1021
Tacoma, WA 98416-1021
T: 253.879.3617
dgorman@pugetsound.edu
pugetsound.edu/library

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Susan J Wishnetsky
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2017 11:24 AM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Yes, I believe I read that the Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned it, although I can’t quite fathom why.  Still, that’s no excuse for withholding it.  SW

 

Susan Wishnetsky

Galter Health Sciences Library

Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

303 East Chicago Avenue

Chicago, Illinois  60611

Phone: 312-503-9351  | FAX 312-503-2678

E-mail: pasiphae@northwestern.edu

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Mark Gooch
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2017 10:38 AM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Stern has received a negative response to the cover of this issue:

http://bit.ly/2nypIk9

Maybe that is why they haven't exported it to the U.S.

It's even available on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/STERN-MAGAZINE-08-24-2017-Donald-Trump-SEIN-KAMPF-GERMAN-MAGAZINE-RARE/253118985205?hash=item3aef1133f5:g:AwoAAOSwrblZo1cD

Thanks
Mark

On 12/4/17 2:47 PM, Huffman, Jennifer wrote:

I guess it could be EU-only material but why are other countries outside the EU getting these issues?  Certainly we don’t know the answers but this is the first time this has happened with this title, as far as I am aware.  The publisher should be giving us a reason why we are not getting these issues, as paid for in our subscriptions.  And isn’t a bit odd for the publisher to offer extensions on our subscriptions in lieu of the 3 issues that were not sent?

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Nikki DeMoville
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 1:20 PM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Just wondering if it's not provocative content or censorship at all, but instead maybe some kind of sponsored or advertising/marketing content that is EU-only?  We used to subscribe to Restaurants & Institutions and each year there were a few issues that we didn't receive because they were "distributed only to commercial subscribers."  If they've gotten some company to sponsor a whole issue for a specific market (i.e. subsidized the cost for subscribers in that area), international subscriptions might not actually include those issues.

It's odd to think that a subscription might not automatically include all issues, but it does happen.  Another variation is the "one-year" newspaper subscription.  McClatchy is notorious for this--they produce several special issues per year that cost an extra dollar or so; they are not included in the cost of the subscription, but are charged against it by adjusting the expiration date.  The customer still receives all the issues, but that 1-year subscription only lasts for about 49 weeks.  Imagine the fun subscription vendors have with this model!

Nikki
--
Nikki DeMoville
Coordinator - Electronic Resources, Acquisitions, and Resource Sharing
Robert E. Kennedy Library
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, California

Direct 805-756-5780
Fax 805-756-7711
ndemovil@calpoly.edu

On 12/4/2017 10:32 AM, McCaffery, Damien wrote:

Another possibility is that the issue is further up the production chain – I know that certain magazines have had trouble with the printing press companies they employ. In some cases, when a magazine’s content is perceived by the print shop to be provocative or objectionable in some way, publishers find themselves either forced to go with another press at the last minute, or, weirdly, negotiating with their printer over what that shop is willing to print. Sensibilities can prove idiosyncratic, and manifest suddenly.

 

This would depend of course on where Stern has its printing done. For instance, if they send their files from Germany to print locally, to avoid tariffs and transport costs to international markets, they may have to contend with local mores on the shop floor in order to get issues to customers.  

 

  damien

 

Damien McCaffery
Electronic Resources Librarian

Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University)

4201 Henry Avenue

Philadelphia PA 19144
T 215-951-2674
mccafferyd@philau.edu

PhilaU.edu    

 

cid:image004.jpg@01D2F744.EB5F8BF0

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of HINDS, Beverley Y
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 12:58 PM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Thanks Jennifer. I was just surprised and my curiosity  led me to  refer to the 1st Amendment regarding censorship as well as the Library Bill of Rights.

Will continue to see what comes of this.

 

Beverley

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Huffman, Jennifer
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 1:27 PM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Hi Beverly,

 

I don’t know that there may be a standard answer to what would precipitate censorship of library materials in the U.S. And I’m not an expert in censorship by any means but in library school, we talked about censorship very seriously.  In this case, after receiving the same notice three separate times for three separate issues in 2017 that were not going to be sent to U.S. customers, based on the content of the missing issues, a pattern seemed to form.  So far, the publisher has not explained the reason for the missing issues and the fulfillment house is blaming it on the publisher.

 

Jennifer

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of HINDS, Beverley Y
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 10:48 AM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Stern Magazine Censorship

 

Hi all

 

I’m an academic librarian in the Caribbean and have been following this thread with great interest.

For clarification, what precipitates  censorship of materials received by a  library in the United States?

 

 

Beverley Hinds

Librarian

Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social & Economic Studies (SALISES)

University of the West Indies

Cave Hill Campus

Bridgetown

BARBADOS

417-4063 (P) /421-6867 (F)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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-- 
Mark Gooch
Collection Management & Discovery Services Librarian
The College of Wooster Libraries
1140 Beall Avenue
Wooster, Ohio 44691
Phone: 330/263-2522
FAX: 330/263-2253
mgooch@wooster.edu

 

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