Hi folks,

Not that I'm a fan of those fulfillment centers in CO and wherever else they may be, but I don’t think this is a "clever ploy".  The truth of the matter is that for those general interest, consumer-oriented magazines that are handled by fulfillment centers, the amount of business they get from libraries is so small that they just really don't care what happens to our issues.  The vast majority of their subscriptions are from individuals who usually are not too fussed if they don't get a complete run.  So, if they even notice that they missed an issue, they're just fine with a subscription extension.

EBSCO (for whom I used to work) and all other subscription agents have representatives who lobby with those fulfillment centers on libraries' behalf, but in the end, they (the fulfillment centers) just don't care that much about our business.

Frustrating, but true.

In a related vein, Lynn hopes that the "publishers lurking on this list will get the message..."  Again, those types of publishers are not likely to be lurking on this list.  They don't care that much.  It's the expensive but mostly-responsible and mostly-efficient publishers who lurk on this list.  :)

But hey, if I'm wrong -- jump in, publishers!

In another post on this same thread, Roger Davis said, "... but the serials vendor didn't necessarily know this or honor it resulting in an overlap of issues."  I guarantee that 99% of the time, the subscription agent does not know about subscription extensions.  The fulfillment center doesn't bother to tell them.  The only way they can know is if we, the librarians, let them know.  Then they will, as Lynn said in her initial post, try to bring the subscription back to a common expiration date.  But that's not always possible.

Sorry to be such a downer, but those are the hard facts.

Happy weekend anyway, all!

Katy G.

Katy Ginanni
E-Access and Serials Librarian
Elizabeth Huth Coates Library
Trinity University
San Antonio, TX 78212-7200
1-210-999-7613 ph.
1-210-999-8182 fax
katy.ginanni@trinity.edu
"The time is always right to do what is right." -- MLK, Jr.
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-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Sheila Hufeld
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:46 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] futile claiming

Lynne
I have had exactly the same problem for years.  I firmly believe that this
is a "clever" ploy of the fulfillment house in Colorado (which distributes a
lot of the more popular magazines). EBSCO agrees with me on this and keeps
an in house supply of issues just in case.  The fulfillment house also has a
habit of sending a card asking for issue and cover date information, which
we always send in the initial claim.  SO, I send the information again and
then they claim that we have now exceeded the claiming time limit. Sound
familiar?

I now try one claim to see if by some remote chance (which occasionally
happens) I might receive the issue and then, if not, I pursue a replacement
through USBE. If you wait too long the issue may go out of print.

Sheila M. Hufeld
Senior Library Specialist
Bibliographic Services
Milner Library
Illinois State University