Subject:  RE: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- 2 messages
From:  "Valerie A. Lang" <langval@hvcc.edu>
Date:  Tue, 1 Apr 2003 10:39:22 -0500

Thank you for all the helpful tips.  This is a terrific list serv.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- 2 messages

2 messages:

1)-------------------------------
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- Valerie A.
Lang
From: "Sandhya D. Srivastava" <LIBRSDS@Mail1.Hofstra.edu>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 08:44:59 -0500

Valerie

I would mention that due to high print costs, the Library has decided to
go with a more economical electronic database called PsychArticles.  At
this point, I would go through all the benefits of the ability to do
fulltext article searching and the printing ability.  Also mention that
the Library is willing to provide the department with special workshop
sessions to see how to use the database more effectively for their
research use.  Also include details on whether student training will be
offered as well.

I think you will be surprised at how receptive your faculty may be to
the electronic option.  It means getting information directly from your
desktop without having to visit the library.

Sandy Srivastava
Hofstra University
Assistant Professor
Serials Librarian
email: librsds@hofstra.edu

2)------------------------
Subject:  RE: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- David
Goodman
From:  "Ian Woodward" <iwoodward@mail.colgate.edu>
Date:  Fri, 21 Mar 2003 08:33:14 -0500

I would like to take limited exception to Dr. Goodman's (off-hand)
suggestion that you utter the following:

"We now have available all the APA journals back to the beginning of the
journals, in complete electronic format, available both in and out of
the library .... For some of the most used journals we will have the
print format as well, available in the library.  We are sure you will
all be delighted at this great improvement in access and usability. "

          If you were sure they would be delighted, you would not have
requested advice on the list.  Also, one seldom has insight into others'
consumer preferences that is reliable to that degree.  A good deal of
promotional material is shot through with humbug.  Making use of it
misrepresents your views (which is wrong) to people you deal with
professionally (which is wrong and imprudent).  Also, your
correspondents are professors, i.e. more given to irony than most.  They
will screen it out at best or be mocking and irritated at worst.  Be
forthright and tell them what they are gaining, what they are losing,
and why the trade is worth it.  Best of luck, IW

I. Woodward
Serials Office
Colgate University Libraries
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, N.Y. 13346
USA
Ph:  315-228-7306
Fax: 315-228-7934
iwoodward@mail.colgate.edu

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- David
Goodman

Subject:  Re: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- Valerie A.
Lang
From:  David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:16:59 -0500

You are not canceling any APA periodicals--you are merely improving the
format in which you acquire them. My advice is that you think of  it
yourself in this positive sense, and notify your users in positive terms
only, for example:

We now have available all the APA journals back to the beginning of the
journals, in complete electronic format, available both in and out of
the library .... For some of the most used journals we will have the
print format as well, available in the library.  We are sure you will
all be delighted at this great improvement in access and usability. "

If anyone asks specifically which ones will not be in print next year,
then you can explain things personally, which is much better than a
memo--especially because if you have chosen well, the title(s) that
instructor wants will be among those you have kept in paper.  I am
willing to guess that if you have 20 faculty members, you will get 5
responses of pleasure, and possibly one complaint at most. If any one is
really unhappy about a particular title, you can add it back in paper
and stop getting paper for some other one.

Please--  you are not canceling anything!
Cancellation is when you stop getting a journal in any format. Then it
takes a little more planning and prior discussion.

   >
 > Subject:  Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations
   > From: "Valerie A. Lang" <langval@hvcc.edu>
 > Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:51:16
   >
 > Hi All,
   >
 > It is nearly certain that we will be purchasing PsycArticles, a
full-text online database which  includes more than 25,000 full-text
articles from 42 journals published by American Psychological
Association.  As a result, due to cost constraints, we will be canceling
some APA psychology journals.   Does anyone have any experience with
explaining this to the pertinent faculty, in memo format? Any tips are
greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Valerie Lang Periodicals Librarian
Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY  12180

-- Dr. David Goodman Princeton University Library and Palmer School of
Library and Information Science, Long Island University
e-mail: dgoodman@princeton.edu