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I agree with the comments as regards to new orders. During the ordering process subscription agents should enquire whether or not the "subscriber" would like to have their online access activated and undertake this process. The subscription agents will be in possession of the new subscription number. They will be dealing with the publishers subscription departments as well - could publishers subscription departments not automatically ask subscription agents if online access is required at the time of order? Institutions could provide (if they have not all ready!) subscription agents with IP addresses and suggested usernames and passwords. It would also be very useful if subscription agents supplied us with publisher subscription numbers on annual invoices for example. I am sure that subscription agents would prefer this option rather than having to deal with a never ending stream of e-mail requests from institutions for information on subscription numbers. I do not think that the method of obtaining subscription numbers from mailing labels is very effective. A journal may only be published two or three times a year and if you have to wait on a mailing label to obtain a subscription number, you could be waiting some time! Sharron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharron Wilson BCS Faculty Librarian & Periodicals Librarian Queen Margaret University College Clerwood Terrace Edinburgh EH12 8TS Tel:(0131) 317 3174 Fax:(0131) 339 7057 E-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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) ************************************************************************** The information contained in the EMail and any attachments is confidential and intended solely and for the attention and use of the named addressee(s). It may not be disclosed to any other person without the express authority of the PHLS, or the intended recipient, or both. 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