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I think that E.P. Goldfinch will find that most libraries do respond to expressed user wishes as he had hoped. The mismatch is not between user requirements and library responses, but between users' perception and articulation of their requirements and the reality. The chief advantage of the package or bundle approach, in my view, is that it allows users access to articles in journals which they had not previously recognised as valuable sources, but which do occasionally publish relevant material. I recall hearing a University Librarian explain to a conference that she had discovered that only one book in every four in her collection of Italian literature had ever been read. This discovery seemed to offer potential savings of 75% on her Italian book budget. The problem was to identify in advance of purchase which books would be read and which would not - so that she could buy only the former. In serials, the package approach (if properly priced) solves this conundrum. ***************** Dr Peter King Assistant Director (Information Management) University of Bristol Information Services Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TJ. Tel. +44 (0)117 928 8005 Fax. +44 (0)117 925 5334 Email [log in to unmask] On Thu, 5 Dec 2002 13:26:58 +0000 (GMT Standard Time) E.P. Goldfinch <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I am a little surprised at the apparent mismatch between librarian's > perception and user's perception of what is 'wanted', as indicated by > a couple of responders. As publisghers, we have targetted the > scientists (users) in the belief that if sufficient found a need in a > given establishment, the corresponding library would subscribe, gievn > that financial restraints alllow. > > E.P. Goldfinch