----------(1)
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 11:59:13 -0700
From: Julia Franklin <jfrank@ISL.STATE.ID.US>
Subject: Re: Claims study? (Rose LaJudice) -Reply
This ended up a lot longer than I expected, if you are interested in my
method read on, if not delete now, I won't know the difference.
Julia Franklin
Idaho State Library
-----------------------------------------------------------
I noticed that I was at times in error in sending a claim too soon, or it
would be on the shelf. VERY EMBARASSING!! I started a check-off sheet
for claims. First, items on the list, are checked to see if they are on
the shelves -- to be sure the piece is not on the shelf. Then I check the
serials sub-system to be sure it wasn't checked in between the printing of
the claim, off-site, and my receiving the claim through the courier. I
also look at this time for when the last one was checked in and if it is
too soon to expect the next issue. Then I check the EBSCO Customized
bulletin of serial changes for the title. For non-EBSCO titles, I check
the files for that title to see if a claim has already been sent to the
publisher. We do not claim gratis subscriptions. The last thing I do
before sending a claim is to look to see if I have already sent a claim to
EBSCO for this publication. If all the checks come back with no answers:
no it is not on the shelf, no it's not already checked in, it's not to
early to send a claim, not on the bulletin, not claimed before, no reason
to hold the claim -- I send it off on EBSCO-NET or the publisher (direct).
Since having the check sheet, I have noticed I am sending fewer claims
than I was before. Much to the relief of my EBSCO Rep. and publishers.
I agree the facts were out of date and the Rep. should update his
information before saying them again.
----------(2)
>From unlsdb@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU Wed Feb 17 07:11:26 1999
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 15:05:43 -0500
From: Susan Davis <unlsdb@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
Subject: Re: Claims study (Kathleen Thorne)
I found the reference in Serials Librarian, v.23 no.3/4 (1993),
Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference of the North American Serials
Group. "Working Together for the Future" p.269-271.
The speaker was Margaret Radbourne, then at Wiley, who said that first
claims were routinely ignored. An unnamed person stated that 70-80
percent of claims were made too early.
My own view is that there is a delicate balancing act involved in
claiming. On the one hand, the automated system is predicting arrival on
a regular cycle (what, serials are published regularly, you gasp?). That
is, a quarterly comes every 90 days. Yet we all know the reality of
publishing, maybe 100 days goes by, or 80, or 150. So we allow a certain
amount of grace time in our systems. (and if you have staff vacancies, the
grace period is even longer:-)).
Then, we have publishers limiting the amount of time you can claim.
My staff do their best to check other libraries catalogs and publisher
websites for delivery information, but deviations from the established
frequency (or the infamous combined issues) result in some premature
claims.
In the perfect EDI world most of these invalid claims would be handled
totally by machine, and we'd have to talk about something else!
Susan
############################################################################
Susan Davis
Head, Periodicals
Central Technical Services
University at Buffalo
Lockwood Library Bldg.
Buffalo, NY 14260-2200
(716) 645-2784
(716) 645-5955 fax
unlsdb@acsu.buffalo.edu
----------(3)
>From lynchj@BRISCOENT.UTHSCSA.EDU Wed Feb 17 07:11:26 1999
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 14:48:56 -0600
From: "Lynch, Jude" <lynchj@BRISCOENT.UTHSCSA.EDU>
Subject: Claims study (Jude A. Lynch)
Our claims person is very careful to validate claims before sending them
to our vendor. She checks our shelves to be sure that it did not slip
past the check-in clerk or that it was not a combined or misnumbered
issue. She checks our vendor's database or the journal's website to see
if she can get a dispatch date. She checks other library catalogs to see
if anyone else has received the issue. We use an automated system but the
claims are always reviewed before forwarding so we expect those claims to
be taken very seriously. Fortunately, our vendor is very responsive.
Jude A. Lynch
mailto:lynchj@uthscsa.edu
Briscoe Library
Univ. of TX HSC at San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, TX 78284-7940
(210) 567-2400
(210) 567-2490 fax
