4 messages, 108 lines:

(1)--------------------------
Date:         Wed, 1 May 1996 07:06:54 -0400
From:         Bill Benson <bensonwo@WL.WPAFB.AF.MIL>
Subject:      Re: Too many claims?
Comments: To: amquets@velcome.iupui.edu

Anne-Marie,

Too many claims - I think not!

I am certain that my peers will agree that if  you only generated 18 claims for
what are at least 930 periodical issues a year (6 times 155) or .019% of the
total issues received,  your supervisor should give thanks that 1) you are
getting such good service from your publishers and vendors, 2) that your mail
system isn't tearing up or losing every other newspaper or sleeved periodical,
and 3) that you are doing such a great job!

We receive 665 periodicals and claimed 200 issues over the last year or .05% if
we use the times 6 factor (3,990 issues).   More than double what you claimed.
Actually we get closer to 7,700 issues by actual count, but by using the same
factor, we are closer to talking oranges and oranges.
The problem is, we should have claimed more, but have not had a good automated
way of doing this until recently.  How do I know?  Because we are missing
dozens of issues!

So take heart and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Bill Benson
Serials Librarian
Wright Laboratory Technical Library
Dayton, Ohio

----
Anne-Marie Quets wrote:

>Dear Serialists,  I work in a small art library (155 periodicals-kardex system
and manual claims) and have been told  by the head librarian that I generate too
many claims to Ebsco. Last year I had 18 claims but they included claims for
phantom publications, organizations that sporadically publish in fits and
spurts, and repeated claims.  I try to find out by phone and letter if and why
publications are late but I still got 2 duplicates that came in after my claims
went out.  I will simply slow down but can you really fine tune this much more?
I thought I under reported my claims already. Please advise
>
>Anne-Marie Quets amquets@velcome.iupui.edu

(2)--------------------------
Date:         Wed, 1 May 1996 08:17:42 EDT
From:         Diane Lewis <DILEWIS@IGSRGLIB01.ER.USGS.GOV>
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
Subject:      Re: Too many claims? / Fine-tuning the claims process

Dear Anne Marie:

18 claims to one vendor in one year is not too many, to my mind.  I have
been a serial records librarian for ten years now, trying to manage
an active serials bank of approximately 8,000.  If we had the time
and the staff, we would ideally claim all of our missing issues,
also.

I congratulate you on your assiduousness in trying to keep up with
claiming.  The nature of serials and serials publishing practices
makes it a very difficult task.  You should be commended and
encouraged to continue.

Diane M. Lewis
Serial Records Librarian
U.S. Geological Survey Library
dilewis@usgs.gov
(703)648-4399

(3)--------------------------
Date:         Wed, 1 May 1996 13:30:51 -0400
From:         Tim Lawrence <lawrencet@NKU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Too many claims? / Fine-tuning the claims process

To have only 18 claims for 155 titles seems very reasonable, especially
if you have even a few weekly titles in there. Ebsco probably thinks
you're wonderful. I'm sure you are actually under claiming; if you
wait too long on delayed and slow publication  claims, at least some
of them will turn into claimed-too-late's. Besides, your head librarian
can't expect to establish with any precision what number of claims is
acceptable for so small a collection; the number would have to vary
widely from year to year.

Tim Lawrence                             lawrencet@nku.edu
Serials Assistant
Northern Kentucky University

(4)-------------------------
Date:         Wed, 1 May 1996 13:44:08 -0500
From:         "Sr. Saint Edward McLaughlin" <marymnt1@METGATE.METRO.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Too many claims? / Fine-tuning the claims process

After three years with EBSCO and constantly promising myself I would do
claims on a regulated basis I have now developed the system of using  an
EBSCO claim sheet alongside the Kardex.  As I check in an issue and
notice that the issue prior to it has not come in, this notation goes on
the claim sheet which is faxed in to EBSCO every day or two.  The chances
of getting replacements for undelivered copies has improved greatly since
I have adopted this method.  (I think my customer services rep likes it
better too.  It eliminates getting six pages of claims at once!)

Sr. St. Edward McLaughlin RSHM             Gloria Gaines Memorial Library
Serials/Research Librarian                 Marymount College
marymnt1@metgate.metro.org                 Tarrytown, NY 10591-3796