-------- Original Message --------
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 11:30:32 -0400
From: Joyce Nelson <JOYCEN@HSC.EDU>

Here is a copy of most of my post to a Ms. Nathalie Slack who responded
when I e-mailed the editor of THE SPECTATOR back in September
(editor@spectator.co.uk).  It provides some of the vendor responses to
the
libraries which replied to my post yesterday. There are a few different
angles on this - bad renewal load into the publisher's database, change
in
publisher with original payments not forwarded or lost, simple requests
for
a second payment as the first was not received.  If there was truly a
glitch in loading a renewal batch, I do not understand the varying
lengths
of the subscription lapses.  Our lapse was pretty much a late January
through April lapse (with two summer issues not arriving either).
Others
did not begin to experience a lapse until Spring of the year. I just
can't
help but wonder if enough issues were printed in the first place.  I
believe about 3-4 repondents mentioned getting a subscription extension;
one was forwarded details on purchasing back issues at $6.50 per issue.

Anyway here is today's post to Ms. Slack:

>Ms. Slack,
>
>I have not had any confirmation on whether our missing issues are
available and whether they will be supplied since my post to you on
September 28, 1999.  I gather that a renewal load was not properly
entered
into the databases of the publisher in January of this year (per a post
from another subscriber missing a substantial number of issues; details
provided on the SERIALSLIST listserv- archives at:
http://www.blackwells.com/services/library/community/index.html).
>
>A total of 12 respondents addressed this problem in posts to that listserv
or to me directly.  A number of them had been given subscription
extensions
by the publisher; one had been provided details on back issues at $6.50
per
issue plus shipping.  I can assure you that that was not the response
that
these libraries wanted to hear. They  had paid in good faith at the
appropriate time in 1998 to insure a renewal that would allow them to
maintain complete collections of THE SPECTATOR for their patrons.
>
> Another respondent mentioned that the publisher had changed, and the
check did not get passed to the new publisher. Several respondents had
mentioned the first check not being received by the publisher, and a
second
payment being required. This was true in my case also. The time frame
for
the missing issues of the various respondents varies somewhat with some
missing January through April issues, others May through July issues,
and
one even missing from January through most of July. I believe there are
a
number of reasons that have been extended for the subscription renewals
not
being entered.  The bottom line is that we all want, above everything,
to
simply have those back issues.
>

I relisted my missing issues and provided information from the shipping
label of a January issue (I keep all those early year labels and have
the
persons opening mail hold them for me). I don't have great hopes for
getting those issues, but I was pleasantly surprised with some long
overdue
issues of AFRIQUE arriving a week or so ago, so I still believe in
miracles.

Sorry this is so lengthy, but there you have it!

Joyce Nelson
Periodicals/Government Documents
Eggleston Library
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden Sydney, VA  23943-0007

tel: 804-223-6278

joycen@hsc.edu