Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 13:24:31 +0200
From: Enrico Martellini <enrico@SNS.IT>
Subject: Access to AIP/APS e-journals: a summary and a proposal

Please reply directly to Enrico Martinelli, not to SERIALST. Thanks-- ed.

Dear colleagues,

thank you very much for your answers to my message concerning access to
AIP/APS e-journals.
I received 8 significant answers from the USA, Switzerland, Israel and
Italy. I don’t know
if I can draw the conclusion that the problem (unjustified interruption of
access to
the e-journals published by American Institute of Physics / American
Physical Society)
is diffuse; anyhow, on the ground of the answers I received I can affirm
that it is
a serious problem for the libraries experiencing it.
As for me (and my library), I am willing to contact AIP/APS in order to
receive some explanations, but I'm afraid I might not receive a satisfactory
answer.
Therefore, I wonder if librarians who are afflicted with these problems can
prepare a joint document to be sent to AIP/APS. The document (which
according to me should be a constructive, not polemic one) should expound
clearly what our needs are and what we expect of them.
In particular, our library needs are:
- to have access to AIP/APS e-journals without interruption (obviously);
- to be identified univocally by one only account number;
- to be always informed in advance about the interruption of the access to
the e-journals;
- to receive an answer to all our letters/messages within few days;
- if our letters/messages contain more than one question, to receive an
answer to all our questions (we often receive incomplete or not relevant
answers);
- to know the AIP/APS contact person (as we inform them about our contact
person);
- to have the access restored if we (or our agent) can prove our payment
(number of cheque, copy of our order of payment, etc.), also if it has not
yet been cashed by AIP/APS;
- to have access restored quickly;
- to be warranted that communications between AIP/APS book-keeping
department and AIP/APS department responsible for managing of e-journals
will be improved, so that we will no more be answered "we cannot find your
payment".
I think we aren't asking for the moon!
If you think that this can be a good initiative, let me know; if, on the
contrary, you think that it's a useless initiative, or quite a silliness,
let me know all the same, but please with the greatest tact ;-)

Happy Easter to all of you
Enrico

==============================
Enrico Martellini
Biblioteca. Scuola Normale Superiore
Piazza dei Cavalieri, 7
56126 Pisa - Italia
tel. 050-509024 - fax 050-563513
mailto: enrico@sns.it
http://biblio.sns.it/index.html
==============================