Usual apologies for cross-posting.

As a small NHS library in the UK the withdrawal of Web Editions has caused hideous problems for us - it's now July and we have been without access to our electronic journals via Elsevier for half the year now. You can imagine the level of exasperation.

We have communicated the fact both to our subscription agent and to Elsevier, several times. The difficulties have been compounded by the fact that the people who deal with Athens access at Elsevier now appear to be located in Singapore and are extremely ignorant of how IP address access works in the UK, particularly in the NHS. They also seem completely bemused by the fact that a hospital in the UK is not an American-style-on-one-site-multi-skyscraper but is often a random assortment of buildings spread out over more than one site! And as for Athens access, well, I might as well be speaking ancient Ainu as the Athens access simpley doesn't work.

Elsevier are not the only offender in this respect but they are the largest, and it would be nice to think they could be a role model. The current excuse is that publishers are "busy with current subscriptions" but it is now almost the end of June, meaning we have been without online access to some of these journals for almost half our subscription now despite repeated emails and attempts to speak to a human being. Perhaps some day publishers will offer pro rata refunds for this level of inconvenience!! (Or do we need to have a 7 figure budget to get them to talk to us?!)

And to think, once, many years ago, I used to think working in publishing would be a viable career choice... Are we the ONLY NHS library in this position?

 

 

Paula Younger

Electronic Resources Librarian

Exeter Health Library

1st Floor, Peninsula Medical School Building Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Barrack Road Exeter

EX2 5DW

Tel: 01392 406729