Hi

The problem I have been finding lately is free with print e-journals
becoming non-free. I only find out about this when a query from a user
prompts me to check. I imagine that this is primarily a problem when
subscription agents are used, but it could easily happen where direct
subscriptions are used as well. Our existing subscriptions are automtically
renewed and we don't use aggregators at present, so we are unaware that
online access has ceased. It would be a good idea for publishers to send a
message to registered libraries when they do this, for goodwill if nothing
else. In common with many places we do not have the resources to trawl
through all the e-jours to check that we still have access. I hate it when
it's the users who tell me about it. I feel it makes the library in
general, and me in particular, look inefficient.

Eileen

At 16:39 13/03/2001 -0000, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>We have had several cases this year and last where problems in the annual
>renewal of the print subscription has led to the loss of access to the
>electronic journal. In some cases we have lost access to the whole online
>content e.g. Highwire or have lost access to the current year only e.g.
>Catchword.  However, the first we usually have known about it is when our
>users report the loss of access to the journal concerned to us. Of course we
>do sometimes have it the other way around i.e. we have cancelled the print,
>but electronic access remains! Then there are electronic journal deals e.g.
>NESLI deals where sometimes current print subscriptions must be maintained
>as part of the deal - therefore problems with the non-renewal of print
>subscriptions might undermine the terms of the contract.
>
>Since publishers are now employing different cut off dates beyond which
>access to the journal is terminated if the subscription is not renewed it is
>getting harder and harder to identify where there could be problems with
>loss of access to the full text. When should one begin the check - February,
>March, April?
>
>There must be a better way than either relying on users informing us about
>loss of access or the even more dreaded option of trawling through journal
>by journal to see if full text access is still available.
>
>Loss of access can be caused by various problems - failing to renew,
>supplier failing to invoice, suppliers failing to pay publishers, publishers
>being paid, but not having cashed the cheque etc. etc. I have come across
>all of these problems in my dealings with ejournals that are tied into print
>subscriptions.
>
>Yet surely loss of access due to any of the above must be of concern to the
>publishers and agents, since they are not cancellations, but errors, which
>potentially leads to loss of income and subscriptions.
>
>Is there not some facility whereby we could be alerted when subscriptions
>are not renewed, that haven't been cancelled, before our access is
>terminated. At least this would give us some chance to get the situation
>remedied and avoid inconvenience to our users.
>
>Are others out there also suffering from this problem.
>
>Cheers
>Lesley
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant, LIS,
>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/ejournals/
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
Ms Eileen Jamieson
Information Assistant

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