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Hi, We signed a NESLI negotiated ScienceDirect license for 3 years which terminates on the 31st December 2002, which gaves us cross access to titles listed in Schedule 7 of the license we signed. As journals ceased, titles changed publisher etc. the titles listed on Schedule 7 began to look more and more depleted, and in the meantime new content was appearing to which we had no rights because they were not listed on Schedule 7 of our contract. Elsevier did promise to update the list of titles listed in Schedule 7 in 2000, but then everything went quiet. In reality it has been a nightmare having to constantly check that we had access to everything we were entitled to, especially when it's not clear just what it is you are entitled to access, although this particular problem is not restricted to ScienceDirect. My emails to SD are littered with loads of examples of loss of access to titles, and queries re: what we were entitled to access. Most of these emails never received a response, but relied on us checking again and again on the SD site about whether our access problems had been rectified and then emailing SD yet again if they hadn't. Then at the beginning of February 2002 a number of us here in the UK noticed that we suddenly had access to a large number of additional titles - we found 89 additional titles - we weren't sure whether this was an error, but in the end we decided to add these titles to our OPAC etc. On the 12st April (yes that is two months later!!) we received an email and attached worksheets from SD informing us that the "number of cross access has gradually decreased, due to title changes, merged titles etc. Therefore we came to the conclusion that we should update the 1118 list with new titles and inform you accordingly". Now we understood why we had access to these new titles, but why did it take so long for SD to tell us? We still don't understand the logic of why some titles are in the list whereas others are omitted, e.g. why we now have access to some, but not all of the Comptes Rendus titles e.g. we have access to Comptes Rendus Chimie, but not Comptes Rendus Biologies, we have access to Comptes Rendus Mecanique, but not Comptes Rendus Mathematique. This one example i.e. waiting two months before informing UK HE institutions (customers) that they had changed the list of titles that we and our users were entitled to access is one that in my humble opinion deserves one of the Golden Raspberrys of the year for poor customer service. That's all for now. 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 Stockley, Lisa Sent: 02 December 2002 16:08 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Elsevier Hi, >Has anyone any suggestions as to how we might proceed? or indeed has a similar experience. We have given up on trying to get ScienceDirect becuase they never reply to our emails. >Perhaps this list could have a Customer Service award each year for >best and worse service. I'd >nominate Ingenta for the best - they've been brilliant with anything I've asked and so prompt. >>No prizes for guessing who's at the bottom of my list....... Funnily enough, at the UKSG InForum this morning we were discussing exactly this - some sort of Golden Raspberry award? I'm not sure it would have any effect though. Lisa Lisa Stockley Assistant Librarian (Serials) IEE Library Savoy Place London WC2R 0BL 020 7344 5434 Fax: 020 7497 7735 >Best Wishes to all >Ros Doig