Hi Beth,

Wesleyan University uses EBSCO and they are able to handle the Tiered
pricing on our behalf.

I may be interpreting your 2nd question incorrectly but not every publisher
- in fact not that many - offer Tiered pricing at this time.  So it is not
a matter of the subscriber having a choice.
As with everything else in the economic world of serials, it is the
publisher who decides whether to offer Tired pricing.

Helen M. Aiello
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

At 12:05 PM 9/8/2006, you wrote:
>We use the  subscription service Ebsco for about 95% of our magazines
>and journals. Does anyone know if Ebsco handles the tiering process for
>you? Should I ask if we qualify and check to see if the pricing is
>greatly different from what we currently are paying now? Shouldn't Ebsco
>also offer this service to us and give us the best deal.
>
>Thanks,
>Beth Burleigh
>
>Beth Burleigh
>Acquisitions Specialist,
>Periodicals and Electronic Resources
>Pennsylavania College of Technology
>Madigan Library
>Dif#69
>One College Ave.
>Williamsport, PA  17701-5799
>Phone: (570) 320-2400 ext. 7454
>Fax: (570) 327-4503
>e-mail bburleig@pct.edu
>
> >>> KENNEDY_JC@MERCER.EDU 9/8/2006 8:26 AM >>>
>I also have found it worthwhile to challenge a publisher about one's
>"Tier" placement. You have to be persistent.  They do make mistakes
>(confusing one campus with another) and the price difference can be
>staggering.
>Joanna Kennedy
>
>Helen Aiello wrote:
> > In some cases tier pricing is based on your institution's Carnegie
> > Classification  Description <
> > http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/classifications/index.asp?key=785
> >
> > or, in cases where there are usage stats for an online
> > product/journal, by the amount of usage an institution makes of the
> > online resource being priced, e.g AIP titles or Project Muse.
> >
> > Who applies it?  Depending on the size of your institution and/or the
>
> > programs offered by your institution (the website above spells it out
>
> > in detail) either you apply it or the pricing agent/publisher.  If
> > your institution does not fall into a neat Tier, then you may have to
>
> > have a discussion with the agent/publisher applying the pricing.
> > Since Wesleyan University is one of those institutions that falls
> > between Tiers, I am always having to make a case for appropriate Tier
>
> > pricing.
> >
> > Who manages it?  Depends on how much you trust your vendor to be able
>
> > to manage that information for your account. Two of the larger
>vendors
> > with whom I work can keep this info as part of our records in their
> > data files. Otherwise, its in your hands to assure the correct
>pricing
> > has been assigned for what you think is your Tier.
> >
> > I am assuming that the above information relates to the Tier pricing
>
> > you are encountering.  But who knows: maybe some publisher thought up
>
> > another method that I have not yet come across.
> > Gotta love the creative economic models for serial pricing.
>Certainly
> > keeps us on our toes to stay informed!
> >
> > **************************************
> > Helen M. Aiello, Serials/E-Resources Librarian
> > Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT  (A tier 2 or 3, depending on the
>
> > good graces of the pricing agency)
> > 860-685-3828
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 02:52 PM 9/7/2006, you wrote:
> >> Hello all,
> >>
> >> Can anyone point me to a document that will define the process by
>which
> >> journals are designated with a tier (i.e. tier one, tier two etc.)?
>Or,
> >> could anyone please enlighten me about this ranking?  I am having a
>hard
> >> time finding any sort of concrete definition or explanation.  Is
>this a
> >> standard?  If so, who applies it and manages it?
> >>
> >> Thanks for any insight,
> >>
> >> Jane
> >>
> >> Jane Binksma
> >> Acquisitions Librarian
> >> Collections Team
> >> Ryerson University Library
> >> 350 Victoria Street
> >> Toronto, ON
> >> M5B 2K3
> >> 416-979-5000 ex. 4855
> >