In response to B.Katz's questions about claims.  At CMU we receive approxima
tely 25,000 periodical issues per year and claim around 2,100 missing or damage
d issues per year.  This puts our claims rate at 8%.  We feel this is not an
outrageous percentage.  We have no data at this time on the differences between
 vendor or direct claims, although the 'feeling' is that neither is that much
better either in responsiveness or timeliness.

  We average about 180 claims per month and about 8.5% of those end up going to
our bindery for back ordering.  We have moved to the NOTIS system and I am plea
sed with the ability to monitor the claims before they are sent out.  This has
stopped many false claims from leaving our office.

  I, too, would be interested in responses from others on this topic.