Dear Louise,
We had problems of activating our online access using the subscription
nos. which is supposed to be found on the journal envelope on the label. In
earlier days we made a note on our check in record of the title on Innopac
requesting our serials team members to hand over the envelope of the title
to our Electronic Journal Co-ordinators when processing the issue. But
later on our suppliers started helping us in procuring the subscription
nos. Our suppliers for eg: Swets Blackwell and DA Informations Inc. are
particularly very helpful and have made our lives easier by entering our
subscription nos. which is required for activating our online access on
their website which helps to a large extend but at times I agree with you
that the no. mentioned on their webpage is invalid. In these cases we
contact them once again. This problem has smoothened out to a certain
extend for us. In rare cases we do contact the publisher directly but they
might need our payment details and hence I need to get back to the
publisher for handling the issue.
I fully agree with you that it is a real saga and we are overcoming this
slowly.
Regards,
Margaret
At 11:59 AM 4/14/03 +0100, you wrote:
>Dear all,
>
>Thought since it's a bright new week and nearly Easter I'd share with you a
>couple of examples of how our lives are ruled by the mysterious subscription
>number ...
>
>Many of us are pleased to see that our print subscriptions have associated
>online versions that are 'free' as long as we keep subscribing to the print
>copies. The journals themselves often advertise this fact, building up the
>hopes of our customers. We would expect, given that we are receiving copies
>through the post, that the publisher knows we are subscribing and entitled
>to the online access.
>
>But no. We need to - activate the title. For which you need a subscription
>number. Where is it? On the journal label. I don't know how many of us
>work in close proximity to where the print journals arrive (at Leeds, five
>different places), but suspect a number somewhat less than 1%? Or it is on
>a letter, which has often arrived along with other bumph in the journal
>itself, and has most likely been discarded by the check-in assistant who
>didn't realise what it was.
>
>Suppose we ask our subscription agent for the number (and I can imagine it
>is even harder for them to track it down than it is for us, even though they
>are clearly paying for the title on our behalf, and if the publisher is
>sending an invoice, surely they know there is a valid subscription ...?) and
>get it. We type it in where requested on the website.
>
>It doesn't work. It is 'invalid', or more mysteriously, has 'already been
>registered'. Really? Why can't I get in to the journal then? (Sometimes
>it works. Not often and it is almost cause for celebration when it
>happens.)
>
>The above tirade was sparked off by two incidents this morning:
>
>1 A journal required a licence to be accepted electronically. When I came
>to type in the subscription number, it said it was already registered (I
>wasn't trying to register, remember, I was only following instructions!). I
>gave up.
>2 We don't have access to a journal we are entitled to. I asked the
>publisher why. They invited us to register our IP address on the site. For
>this we need a sub number. Which they haven't given us.
>
>I know others have this problem. I'd love to know why publishers are
>determined to make life as hard for us as possible. You'd think they didn't
>want us to access their journals. (And to be honest, if it wasn't for the
>fact these journals are needed, and that's why we want to access them ...).
>
>Any thoughts?
>Louise
>
>Louise Cole
>Electronic Resources Team Leader
>Health Sciences Library
>University of Leeds
>Leeds LS2 9JT
>
>e-mail [log in to unmask]
>tel 0113 343 5502
>fax 0113 343 4381
****************************
Margaret Prabhu
E-Journals Co-ordinator
Serials Team - IAOS
Baillieu Library
University of Melbourne 3010
Ph 61 3 8344 7085
Fax: 61 3 8344 0197
Email: [log in to unmask]
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