One of the processes that has not been mentioned yet in the SERIALST
messages I've read about the topic, EBSCO'S E-JOURNALS "SERVICE", is that
many e-journals require a license agreement that usually must be
negotiated directly with the publisher, anyway (and we take license
agreements seriously here, even the "click-here" type).  It has been our
experience that "free" e-journal access is only free for a limited amount
of time, and then access is cut off without notice, or the notice comes in
the form of an invoice to "renew".  While we are subscribing to services
such as JSTOR, PROJECT MUSE, and other (usually subject-related) packages,
we continue to approach formal access to individual e-journal titles very
cautiously and judiciously due in part to what the publisher definition of
"access" may or may not mean, what "free access" may or may not mean, and
the sheer time involved with negotiating license agreements.  We are
getting a steady stream of notices directly from the publishers and from
our vendors (as part of regular current-awareness services they already
provide and via e-mail messages); we used to try to put the information in
a non-displaying holdings note for the print title, but with the increase
in such notices, we can no longer justify doing that.  -- Gaele

E. Gaele Gillespie / Serials Librarian
Serials - Retrieval Services Dept.
210 Watson
University of Kansas Libraries
Lawrence, KS  66045-2800
e-mail:  ggillespie@ukans.edu
Voice:  785-864-3051
Fax:  785-864-3855 (if busy use: 4-5311)

>>> Sharon Quinn Fitzgerald <SharonQuinn_Fitzgerald@UMIT.MAINE.EDU>
wrote >>>
Hi folks,

Our experience with EBSCO's online access to e-journals here at the
University of Maine mirrors that of Villanova.  We were sent hundreds
of these notices for individual titles with a cover letter that
suggested that by providing EBSCO with certain data, IP list and
contact information, that free online access would be pursued on our
behalf.

We were thrilled at the prospect of a new service for the e-journal
medium to mirror the service we currently get from EBSCO for our paper
subscriptions.   Unfortunately, on pursuing further with our customer
rep we were informed this is a letter service ONLY and we would still
be required to deal directly with publishers to set up access.
Providing the information for EBSCO on individual titles only adds
another step of work to an already difficult, time consuming task as
each publisher has a different approach to registration for online
access.

I urged our EBSCO rep to consider fleshing out this "service" and would
encourage all interested to do the same.

Sharon Quinn Fitzgerald
Head, Serials
University of Maine
<SharonQuinn_Fitzgerald@UMIT.MAINE.EDU>

--
Sharon Quinn Fitzgerald
Interim Campus Web Manager
University of Maine