3 messages, 80 lines:
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Date:         Mon, 2 Oct 1995 21:33:49 -0400
From:         Craig Fairley <fairley@INFORAMP.NET>
Subject:      Re: Publisher responses to serial claims

ORIGINAL MESSAGE from Genevieve Clay LIBCLAY@ACS.EKU.EDU:

>One of the claims we use daily reads, "Our records indicate the next
>issue on our subscription is overdue.  The last issue received was...
>Please send the next and following issues."
>
>The claim letter is worded clearly - right?  Apparently not!  More and
>more often we get the last issue as listed in the letter.  It's a
>duplicate, of course.  There is no mention of whether the publication is
>behind.  We assume the person handling the claim mis-read it.  It means
>additional follow-up on our part.  For a domentic title I can contact
>the publisher by phone or e-mail.  But for titles published abroad...?
>
>Is this a problem for others of you?  Is there a solution I haven't
>thought of?

Sorry, But I don't know NOTIS.  Can you customize the letter?

If you can, I suggest having the letter print the issues you are (or think
you are) missing and when you expected it.  If it's any consolation, I have
never found a foolproof claim letter.

_________________________________________________________________

Craig Fairley
Information Dynamics
2165 Margot Street
Oakville, Ontario
Canada
L6H 3M5
(905) 842-9506

"Services in Information and Process Management"

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Date:         Tue, 3 Oct 1995 08:25:24 CST6CDT
From:         June Breland <JBRELAND@LIBRARY.MSSTATE.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Publisher responses to serial claims

Regarding the query on wording of claims -- our system prints the
number of the piece we're missing and a simple note "As of <date> we
have not received this item."  Works well for us.

June Breland                Internet: jbreland@library.msstate.edu
Coordinator, Acquisition Services              phone: 601-325-7672
Mitchell Memorial Library                        fax: 601-325-3560
P.O. Box 9570
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762

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Date:         Tue, 3 Oct 1995 08:33:44 -0600
From:         Ann Leslie Jones <ajones@ARTIC.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Publisher responses to serial claims

Our claims, generated from an Innopac system, display the issue which is
being claimed in large block letters. If we feel it is appropriate, we add
information about the last issue received, which appears in much smaller
letters as a note beneath the claimed issue. People "read" the typography
as much (or more) than they do the text, and even in our case we
occasionally get duplicate issues instead of the ones we are claiming.

However, I do think that you would be much better off stating the
particulars of the issue you are claiming, rather than those of the last
one you received. I suspect that the former is what the people receiving
our claims are more accustomed to seeing and that your responses would
improve considerably.

*************

Ann Leslie Jones                        312-443-3526 (voice)
Serials Librarian                       312-443-0105 (fax)
The Art Institute of Chicago            ajones@artic.edu