Hi Lila,

We used Ebsco's Rapid Renewal to renew our Elsevier subscription last year, and plan to do so again this year.

Jane Smith

Jane Smith
Associate Professor
Coordinator of Electronic Resources
University Libraries
Texas A&M University
janeasmith@tamu.edu

Sterling C. Evans Library
5000 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843

Tel. 979.862.3070 | Fax 979.458.1630
http://library.tamu.edu

>>> Lila Ohler <lohler@UMD.EDU> 10/5/2009 3:41 PM >>>
Is anyone else experiencing problems convincing Elsevier to participate in
Ebsco's new Rapid Renewal Tool for managing and renewing subscription titles
that are part of Big Deal contracts, or acquired through consortia sponsored
Big Deals?

We are very disspointed today to hear from the publisher that they will not
paricipate in the program, or perhaps that applies only to us, we're not
sure.

Libraries use serial vendors for a multitude of reasons.  But perhaps the
most important one in this unstable financial environment is to facilitate
the rapid renewal and payment of journal title subscriptions as early in the
fiscal year as possible.  This is especially vital for large state funded
libraries who participate in multiple journal publisher Big Deals which
require title reconciliation before renewals can even be processed.  The
reality of our financial environment is that most libraries are experiencing
multiple budget cuts within the same fiscal year, and the truth is that we
are likely to experience this same trend for the next few years.  This means
that many libraries will have to face difficult decisions about any journals
not yet renewed or paid further into each fiscal year.

Perhaps Elsevier is unaware of this trend?  Could it be they do not realize
the potential consequence of insisting on a renewal process that takes
longer and leaves their journal titles still unpaid more than halfway
through the library's fiscal year?  I guess I can't help but wonder, how is
that a good business decision?

If there is anyone out there with similar observations and questions, I
would love to hear from you!  Or if I'm missing something and you can
convince me of the wisdom of Elsevier's decision, please feel free to try!

Thanks,

Lila (Angie) Ohler

Head of Acquisitions, McKeldin Library

University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions

College Park, MD 20742

301 405-9308 (phone)

301 314-1200 (fax)

 <mailto:lohler@umd.edu> lohler@umd.edu