As the budget drops, so does our pride: we've gone from saying "No thanks"
(because faculty frequently keep the really good issues indefinitely &
our readers suffer) to a cautious acceptance.  Where possible, we ask that
the subscription amount be donated directly into the library funds; where
they place the subscription themselves, we prefer that the issues come
directly to us.  Having the issues go first to the giver and THEN on to
us not only slows things down, sometimes by a matter of months, but leads
also to the missing issue syndrome: either they keep, or it gets lost in
the mail in the process of forwarding.

When a kind donor places the subscription personally, we are never sure
whether they renew, renew in time to prevent missing issues, meant it to be
a one-time gift, or initially paid for a block of years. If you have such
donors, you might ask all the necessary questions when you send them a
confirmation/thank you letter.

[Kathleen Thorne <kathleen@sjsuvm1.bitnet>]