In January, the Gallup organization notified us they were ceasing print publication of the Gallup Poll Monthly.  We had already paid for the 2002 calendar year, and with this information, requested a refund from our vendor.

As those of you who deal with Gallup know, what followed was much back-pedalling, "oh no we didn't really mean it"s, and "now we have all this so much better stuff surely you don't REALLY want your money back."  All accompanied by various issues of Whatever.

Today we received a second copy of _The Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing_.  We don't want it.  We recycled the first one and will do the same with the second.  I checked my Gallup notes and find the last entry on August 2nd, saying I had responded to a forwarded mailing (my vendor forwarded it from Gallup) by clarifying that no, indeed we had not changed our mind, and yes, indeed, we want the refund.  And I just emailed my vendor rep again, asking her to pursue.

But the year is almost over & my hopes are sinking.   Are other libraries having the same problem?  And if so, what are you thinking/doing?

Frankly at this point, I am leaning toward a new version of Rick Anderson's money-making sideline - charge people for a year's subscription, tell them, sorry, I won't be publishing that and then send out a few letters over the course of the year insisting that of course, I realize they didn't really MEAN to cancel, any more than I really MEANT to stop publishing.  This one's a little more work, but I can charge more . . .

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept.
Cofrin Library
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
(920) 465-2670