Greetings again!

Last week I asked for information from users of a product called
SerialsQuest (or Faxon Quest) because I was doing research on duplicates and
exchanges.  I've had several requests to summarize information about
duplicates exchange for the list, so in a nutshell, here goes:

Other than the traditional paper exchange lists, there are a few online
products to use for duplicates and exchanges.  Some are:

1.  BACKSERV.  Subscribe to this list at listserv@sun.readmore.com.
Sponsored by Readmore, Inc., it is an informal, unmoderated list on which to
advertise/request serial issues and (just recently) books.  It's a pretty
busy list (10-15 messages/day) with simple "I have the following journals
available," or "I need the journals below to fill gaps," followed by a list
of titles.  Easy to use but totally unstructured.  Free except for (perhaps)
postage reimbursement as requested by the involved parties.

2.  DEU-L.  Subscribe to this list at listserv@shsu.edu.  This program is
sponsored by ALA's ALCTS DEU committee and is very different from BACKSERV.
The list has little traffic; the heart of this program lies in the gopher at
Sam Houston State University (URL gopher://niord.shsu.edu or gopher path All
the Servers in the World -- North America -- USA -- Texas -- Sam Houston
State University).  Once you've accessed that gopher choose the DEU Library
Prototype Demonstration Area.  The beauty of this system is that all
submitted lists are indexed together and you can input one search and the
index goes through ALL OF THE LISTS AT THE SAME TIME!  So if you want a
specific issue of, say, Sports Illustrated, just enter that search once and
the system retrieves ALL instances of Sports Illustrated in ALL the lists
from that one search.  You then only have to check the matches for the proper
issue.  DEU-L doesn't generate must list traffic other than announcments
that new lists are available or basic instructions.  All DEU-L archives are
located on the gopher, so complete instructions are available there.  This
is still a new project and will become even more valuable as more people
join up.  Free except for usual postage reimbursement.  (You may get the
hint that I think this is a really swell program and would encourage
everyone out there to give it a try.)

3.  Faxon's SerialsQuest.  Word straight from Faxon:  yes, there *still is*
a product called SerialsQuest, but it is aimed mostly at the MLA (Medical
Library Association) market at the moment, so useful only if you are looking
for medical journals.  You don't have to be a Faxon customer to join.
Titles available for trade are submitted and then when you input a request
the system searches the available titles and then EMails you or faxes you
any matches to your request.  There are start-up fees and quarterly
subscription/online fees.  You are charged for any title you get and you are
credited for any title you send out (charge is more than the credit).
Libraries don't exchange money directly, however; the accounts are centrally
managed by the program and each member is sent a statement regularly.  This
used to be an ABACIS product; Faxon bought it.  Faxon Quest also exists,
though it is only an "umbrella name" for SerialsQuest and ReQuest, which is
a traditional back issue service which searches vendors' files for matches
to your needs.  For more information, EMail Glenn Jaeger at
jaeger@faxon.com.

Thanks to all who provided information; as usual the library community is
more than helpful.

 Rebecca House Stankowski
 Technical Services Librarian
 Purdue University Calumet
 Hammond, Indiana  46323-2590
 rhs@nwi.calumet.purdue.edu
 219.989.2435  Fax: 219.989.2070