Ideally publishers and agents should have all the information needed to set
up e-access for their customers before end of the year rather than waiting
for Jan 2003 to begin processing work.

They should treat the online subscription like the print where it takes
publishers 3 months (min) to prepare the mailing labels.

We should only be paying for the journals and services but NOT all the
delays and inefficiency as well!!!

Leo Stubbs
Company Librarian
Celltech R&D Ltd


-----Original Message-----
From: Lesley Crawshaw [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 05 April 2002 12:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Arranging access to print-with-online journals


Hi,

I agree with everything that has been said - we've all been raising these
issues again and again on this list, but still find ourselves in these
unsatisfactory positions. I am surprised as to how we have all managed to
retain our sanity in these situations.

I ordered several new subscriptions (most print/online) in the middle of
December through one of our agents, some were Catchword titles and others
available via ingenta. We supplied additional information needed to set up
our online access e.g. CID number, IP address, access routes etc. and also
asked to be informed once our access was set up.

We paid our invoices and then waited for notification of electronic access -
and waited......the reason being I was curious as to what happened if one
didn't chase the agent or publishers - would the process work as I hoped and
save me endless time - no!! - in the end I gave up waiting and sorted it out
myself.

I contacted various people at ingenta and one of the publishers's concerned
who either gave me the relevant magic numbers so I could activate access
myself or were able to identify our subscriptions and give us electronic
access. Only in the middle of March did we finally gain access to everything
that we have a right to access.

Should we not have a right when we order print/online or online only
journals to expect some kind of notification from the publisher or agent
that our access is now ready? ...or am I being naive? If so would someone
put me right please!


Cheers
Lesley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant
Learning and Information Services,
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB UK
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone:  01707 284662      fax: 01707 284666
web: http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/subjects/natsci/ejournal/
list owner: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Sandra Morris
Sent: 05 April 2002 10:59
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Arranging access to print-with-online journals


The nightmarish scenario that Mieko describes happens for me when I want to
set up an alternative route of access to a journal.
Most of our printed journals are purchased via SwetsBlackwell as agent. We
have an agreement with them (as Mieko describes) that they will
automatically arrange for e-access to be set up where available. This they
do for access via SwetsnetNavigator, and sometimes for other access where
the publisher will not allow access via Swetsnetnavigator.

However, we currently have an access problem to Swetsnetnavigator on our
student machines, so I am trying to set up alternative routes for our users
where possible. This sometimes leads to the comedy of errors situation as
described by Mieko.

For example, sometimes, even when access via Swetsnetnavigator leads to
Catchword, if I want to set up direct access via Catchword, then Catchword
say they do not have any record of our subscription.

This is in no way a criticism of anyone in particular or any organisation,
as everyone is very helpful, simply an illustration of the current
complexities involved.
Is there a better way? I don't know, but there must be better uses of my
time.



Sandra Morris
Electronic Information Development Officer
Hugh Owen Library
Information Services,
University of Wales, Aberystwyth,                     Penglais Campus,
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DZ
Email: [log in to unmask]
Extension: 1892   Phone: (01970) 621892   FAX: (01970) 622404


-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Margaret Clennett
Sent: 05 April 2002 10:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Arranging access to print-with-online journals


We have had similar experiences with trying to set up e-access, though we
have our journals sent direct. Finding numbers on mailing labels is OK for
an individual, but not for any library of even moderate size. Could
publishers or agents arrange to send us details of our subscription numbers
as part of the renewals confirmation process?

Margaret Clennett

Margaret A Clennett
Chief Librarian Public Health Laboratory Service
61 Colindale Avenue
London NW9 5HT
0208 200 4400 ext 4617
e-mail [log in to unmask]
or       [log in to unmask]


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 4:33 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Arranging access to print-with-online journals
> > I've just received a confirmation of online access to a journal after
> two weeks of intensive email correspondence with the publisher, the
> subscription agent and the content provider, and cannot help thinking
> there must be an easier way.
> > I received a notification from the content provider of online
> availability of a journal title we subscribe to in print.  I completed
> an online activation form requesting access and supplied the agent's
> reference number as requested.  I received an email from the publisher
> (in the US) that they could not locate our subscription.  This was not
> entirely unexpected since we use the agent's consolidation service and
> the publisher may not have the library's address as the delivery address.
> We contacted the agent to ask for the subscription reference number the
> publisher requested.  The agent emailed back a reference number.  We
> forwarded the number to the publisher.  The publisher replied that this
> was not the number they needed.  We wrote back to the agent.  All this
> was interspersed with what seemed like daily automated email messages
> from the publisher informing us that they failed to locate our
> subscription record.  Eventually an email from the publisher suggested
> that we should look at the label on a recent issue.  I had already done
> so but all I could find was a label printed and attached by the agent.
> There was no sign of a number in the format that the publisher required.
> However, I did have another look and found that under the agent's label
> there was a smaller label which had obviously been affixed by the
> publisher.  By removing the agent's label carefully I was able to find
> the magic number that the publisher needed.  I sent the number to the
> publisher.  They replied that the number actually referred to the agent
> and could not identify us as the subscriber, but that the second number
> I also supplied helped to trace our subscription although it was not a
> valid number as it was for a subscription which had expired.  (The
> journal issue I found the label on was the January-February 2002 issue.)
> They also explained that the reason why they could not trace our
> subscription was because our order had been placed through an agent.
> (I thought we'd already told them this!)  Incidentally we have an
> agreement with the agent to arrange online access automatically if it
> is available as part of the print subscription and have given them our
> preferred access routes.
> > Was it worth the effort?  I hope so - when our users can access the
> contents of this journal online - apparently no issues are avaialable
> online yet!  But there must be a less time-consuming way to arrange
> online access to electronic journals...
> > Mieko
> -----
> Mieko Yamaguchi                                [log in to unmask]
> Technical Services Manager/System Coordinator        +44 (0)1248 382970
> Main Library, University of Wales Bangor, UK   +44 (0)1248 382979 (Fax)


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