check out the beta version of OCLC's xISSN service, which we previewed
at ALA midwinter.

http://xissn.worldcat.org/

Official launch coming RSN.

Eric

On Feb 8, 2008, at 11:47 AM, Michael wrote:

>
> The question:
> Does anyone have an up-to-date chart that will couple a given
> title’s print ISSN to its electronic ISSN?
>
> Why I’m asking:
> We use a subscription agent and over the course of a year we
> subscribe and cancel titles. We have an A-Z list provided by a
> separate vendor. We have yet another vendor that supplies a
> meaningful degree of archival access to many of these titles in
> addition to the access that the publishers supply to the same
> titles. And of course we have the publishers and/or their host sites.
>
> With that many parties involved in providing access to thousands of
> titles it is easy to see how they can get out of sync with each
> other. It makes good sense to periodically check to make sure every
> thing that we pay for, in every form that we pay for it, is
> operational.
>
> A way to check to see that everything is as it should be is to
> download a list from each relevant vendor/provider/publisher and
> compare them to each other. If I bought a title through subscription
> agent A from publisher B, I want to see it in vendor C’s list. If I
> compare the three lists from the 3 parties and all 3 say I have
> access that title, chances are good that I actually do have access.
> This is more efficient than going title by title through the OPAC
> even if that is the most reliable way to do it. But I’m open to a
> discussion of better ways of verifying access to a long list of
> titles.
>
> The problem is that subscription agent A is likely to say I have
> access to “Journal of the Boss Hogg Society” and because it has an
> electronic element, they’ll use the e-ISSN. At the same time,
> publisher B sells print plus with emphasis on print so they use the
> print ISSN and they list the title as “*The* journal of the Boss
> Hogg society.” And in the meantime, vendor C is into shorthand
> titles so they list it as “Jnl Boss Hogg Society” and they
> occasionally use the print ISSN for some titles and the e-ISSN for
> other titles.
>
> I can run electronic list comparisons but only if I have a
> consistent match point. The best way that we have come up with is a
> chart where the different format ISSNs are linked together along
> with a title. That way the title can vary enough to throw it off in
> a list but still be matchable. Any ideas? I'm always open to ideas
> on better ways of doing things.
>
> Thanks to all,
> Michael Lampley
> Serials Librarian
> Texas Christian University
> TCU Box 2984000
> 2913 West Lowden St.
> Fort Worth, TX 76129
> 817 257 6485 TEL
> m.lampley@tcu.edu
>
>
>
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Eric Hellman, Director 						OCLC New Jersey
hellmane@oclc.org							2 Broad St., Suite 208
tel 1-973-509-7800 	 fax 1-734-468-6216       	Bloomfield, NJ 07003
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