According to my job title, I am no longer a librarian, but those roots
run deep and I need to resolve what I see as information management
problems. I have been with this organization for a couple months. There
is no formal library, but there is a room where people are supposed to
shelve periodicals they receive - some do, some don't. I have proposed
that we look at using a subscription agency to manage the subscriptions
so there is at least a formal inventory of who gets what. I think there
will be some savings in terms of 1) less use of document delivery
services if people can find what they need in house, 2) fewer POs/Check
Requests for accounting to handle and process, 3) potential discounts.
I am in the first stages of looking into this so do not have a list of
publications. We will possibly be looking at converting some print into
institutional electronic subscriptions.  I know there are a lot of very
technical medical journals (Blood, Biology of Blood and Marrow
Transplantation, Current Opinions in Oncology...) as well as some more
mainstream publications.

I have searched SERIALST from Jan 2003 to date for information and found
some good information including find Rolo Turner's "Criteria for
Selecting a Subscription Agent. I also learned about the Faxon
bancruptcy (they were my vendor in the late 1980s). It has been 10 years
since I have managed subscriptions through an agency. In the past, I've
used Faxon, EBSCO and Readmore. Who should I be looking at? Any plusses
or minuses for any specific vendors? What are current fees? Anything I
should specifically look for in a vendor?

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Mary Senneka
Business Development & Market Research Manager
National Marrow Donor Program

3001 Broadway St. NE Suite 500
Minneapolis, MN  55413

612.627.8152
msenneka@nmdp.org