Someone many months ago discussed fulfillment services in some detail,
     and he was drawing on something like 20+ years of experience.  Mine
     own is not nearly as long, yet in 1980, while working at the
     University of Georgia, I also became aware of fulfillment houses
     through some dealings with that address in Boulder, CO.  Two years
     later, I was working in the Periodicals Dept. at the Hillman Library
     of the Univ. of Pittsburgh, and again problems in receiving claimed
     missing issues from this same Boulder, CO. address happened too
     frequently.  I had spoken with the Faxon rep and had become aware of
     NeoData.

       Faxon claimed that their leverage with fulfillment centers (there
     always appeared to be problems with renewals, too) was small.  They
     might be big in the world of library subscriptions, but 2,000 copies
     or even 10,000 copies of a popular publication was nothing like the
     millions going out to homes across the US and elsewhere.  That being
     said, I suggested two strategies: buy as many of the titles in
     microform as your retention media (rather than expecting to have all
     the paper issues for binding) and/or talk to the nearest bookstore or
     periodical retailer (the folks who distribute and place magazines in
     grocery stores) about purchasing titles through their local business.

       Bookstores and periodical retailers will always have several copies,
     while you just need to get that one.  You won't have to deal with a
     fulfillment center or your agent who is dealing with the fulfillment
     center -- don't you just love two or three levels of bureaucracy, each
     one requiring their just rewards.  Now I'm not advocating dumping
     subscription agents, however, for those popular titles which
     fulfillment centers handle, the inconvenience of buying directly,
     seems a small price to pay.  You might try some newspapers, too.

     John West
     Once in serials, now in systems
     jwest@austinc.edu

     "always the beautiful answer who asks the more beautiful question"
        --e.e. cummings