At Brandeis, we recently switched some of our packages back to our
vendor and would like our vendor to handle all of our subscriptions.  We
completed a huge project of changing print journals to online, and our
vendor did a tremendous amount of work to support this.  In addition, we
want the EDI invoicing, the integrated reports, the troubleshooting,
etc.  Our time is valuable, and with decreasing numbers of staff,
outsourcing routine serials tasks makes much sense, as it does for
monographs, approval plans and shelf-ready processing.  We should be
concentrating on working more closely with our patrons and improving
access to all of our information resources.  Journal vendors have much
value to add in the electronic environment and we should be working with
them to expand the services they provide to us.  Subscription agents
also need our support in convincing publishers of their value both to
libraries and to the publishers.  Together we all need to work to
simplify these terribly time-consuming renewal processes.  And, it goes
without saying that the vendors need our financial support to continue
all of the important work that they do for us.

Amira Aaron
Director for Information Resources
Brandeis University Library and
  Technology Services
415 South Street  MS045
Waltham, MA  02454
phone 781-736-4647
fax  781-736-4724
aaaron@brandeis.edu
lts.brandeis.edu

Mina Davenport wrote:
> We do get the AMA journals directly, they are no problem. I also got Haworth Press direct, but they got bought out, so I am now getting them through my journal vendor. I did get the Elsevier health titles direct, but every time there was a change with them it caused a problem, so I changed them to my journal vendor...
>
> Mina Davenport, Librarian
> Childrens Hospital
> Health Sciences Library
> 747 52nd Street
> Oakland CA 94609  USA
> (510) 428-3448 (p)
> (510) 601-3963 (f)
> mdavenport@mail.cho.org
>