I want to add my two cents about Ebsconet. I think they are moving in the
right direction in regards to electronic claiming. There are a few bugs or
problems with their system but the ability to claim immediately and get
results is outstanding. And if you have a unique problem, they also have
e-mail links to your service representative and I find that their turn
around with answers is fantastic.

Sharon Wieczorek
Mercyhurst College
Hammermill Library
Erie, PA 16546

Max Shenk wrote:

> Hear hear! re electronic claiming. I'm finding that it really expedites
> the claims process and also results in a higher success rate.
> At a recent periodicals interest meeting of local librarians, there was
> sort of a concensus, based on experience, that a lot of vendors don't
> really move too fast on a first claim...that, in fact, it usually isn't
> until a second claim is made that they pass the claim along to a
> publisher.
> My colleagues' experience (and mine) has also borne out, unfortunately,
> that by the time a lot of second claims are made, the publishers' grace
> periods for claiming has expired.
> All the more reason to get in a first claim as soon as possible, which
> (in our case, thanks to Ebsconet) we can do online as soon as we're
> aware that an issue is missing.
> Cheers, all!
>
> Max Shenk
> Periodicals Assistant
> Montgomery County Community College Library
> Blue Bell, PA
>
> "What is truth? I don't know, and I'm sorry I raised the point"--
> Edward Abbey
>
> >>> aew@CANES.GSW.EDU 01/16/03 09:43AM >>>
> Laura - Does your vendor have a website whereby missing issues can be
> claimed electronically--that really helped us since they do the
> claiming -
> in the past, we called the publishers to claim missing issues.
> On our electronic checkin system, a claims form can be printed out,
> but
> there again was the extra step of then having to fax it to the
> publisher.
>
> Amy
>
> At 09:17 PM 1/15/2003 -0500, you wrote:
> >Hello,
> >
> >In my frustration in dealing with journal issues that have ceased
> coming
> >without my knowledge (how can this possibly happen?), I am turning to
> the list
> >for advice.
> >
> >In the 10 years that I have been managing our serials collection, I
> am
> >constantly frustrated by late issues that fall through the cracks.  I
> check in
> >issues using a DRA system.  It has claiming capabilities but I have
> never been
> >pleased with the reports I get.  It often doesn't pick up issues that
> need to
> >be claimed (due to a deviation factor that is set up in the system
> that lets
> >you know when you should expect the next issue.)  It also sticks a
> bunch of
> >issues on the report that don't need to be claimed (see deviation
> note,
> >previous sentence!)
> >
> >I am curious as to the methods other schools use to track late or
> never
> >received issues?  Does your system have reporting capabilities and do
> you run
> >these reports every week or month?  Do you have some manual way of
> keeping
> >track?  Any and all input, advice, etc. would be welcome.
> >
> >With the divine fiasco that is going on (we had 95% of our
> subscriptions with
> >them - over 750 titles), this claiming issue is becoming even more of
> a
> >challenge!
> >
> >Regards,
> >Laura
> >
> >Laura Vogler
> >Serials Manager
> >Wabash College Library
> >301 West Wabash Avenue
> >Crawfordsville IN 47933