-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Catchword problems -- John McDonald
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 13:15:50 -0500
From: Kent Mulliner <mulliner@OHIO.EDU>

I would strongly echo John McDonald's comments, yet be
relieved that I don't think our problems have yet reached 14%.
But that is the problem with the existing situation.  We have no
way of knowing if there is a problem until a user advises us that
he/she cannot get access.  It is also quite revealing (at least about
the length of time that can pass between when access was lost
due to falsely assumed non-renewal and a report of inaccessability.

I did have an interesting case late last month.  When I contacted a
publisher about inaccessibility of a title through HighWire, the
person answering the phone took care of it immediately but noted,
somewhat apologetically, that they hadn't updated the web for a
couple of months.

Clearly something more is needed.

         kent mulliner

K. Mulliner       Collection Development Coordinator

Ohio University Libraries               Phone: 740-593-2707
Athens, OH 45701-2978, USA       FAX:    740-593-2708
mulliner@ohio.edu

At 12:35 PM 3/26/02 -0500, you wrote:
>-------- Original Message --------
>Subject: Re: Catchword problems -- Christopher Waldrop
>Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 09:11:40 -0800
>From: John McDonald <jmcdonald@LIBRARY.CALTECH.EDU>
>
>
>We often have difficulties with renewals for electronic journals.  My
>count
>this past year was that 14% of our e-journals were incorrectly renewed
>or
>summarily cancelled.  Sometimes it is our subscription agent, sometimes
>it's
>our accounting department, but most of the time it's the publisher or
>electronic journal vendor.  All of these problems could have been
>corrected
>or dealt with prior to de-activating our subscription if we had only
>known.
>
>
>Vendors and publishers - is it too much to ask that you email the
>license
>administrator or institutional contact in these cases?  A quick, even
>machine-generated, form letter letting us know that our subscription
>hasn't
>been renewed will eliminate most of these problems.
>
>
>
>John McDonald
>Acquisitions Librarian
>California Institute of Technology
>Millikan Library 1-32
>Pasadena, CA 91125
>626-395-6427
>626-792-7540 fax
>john@library.caltech.edu
>
>
>
>--------- Original Message --------
>Subject: Catchword problems.
>Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 08:48:44 -0600
>From: Christopher Waldrop <Waldrop@LIBRARY.VANDERBILT.EDU>
>Organization: Vanderbilt University
>
>
>This year (2002) at Vanderbilt University Library we've had three
>separate subscription problems with online publications that are
>available through Catchword. Two of the titles were renewals, and the
>third was a new subscription. In the case of the renewals, our access
>was cut off without explanation, even though it was confirmed that the
>publisher had received and processed our payment. In the case of the
>new subscription, the publisher's received and processed our
>payment, but our subscription hasn't been activated yet.
>
>To make it even more frustration, we pay for all the titles through
>Swets, and, to his credit, our customer service representative has been
>very good about contacting the Catchword support staff. He's had to
>do so repeatedly because even after the support staff tells him our
>access is activated, it hasn't been.
>
>Has anyone else experienced similar problems?
>
>Thanks.
>
>
>Christopher Waldrop
>Serials Coordinator
>Vanderbilt University Library
>Order Services Department
>Tel: 615-343-3831
>Fax: 615-343-8834