Getting hold of the correct number USED TO BE a nightmare for me too,
but gradually I seem to have built up a good working arrangement with
our subscription agent, and in particular with a few of the agent's
staff, and they can now usually give me any customer number that I ask
for within two working days or less.

Using this method is the only currently available way whereby I can
retain at least some control over the process of providing Web access
to journals for my college members.  If anything goes wrong, or a delay
occurs, I know about it almost at once and can take action, even if it
is only to issue an apology for a journal's non-availability.  The
fact that I sometimes have to specify titles individually is not much
of a bother, and does give me an extra degree of control.  It is hardly
too much to expect me to know the names of the journals to which we
subscribe.

The alternative of leaving everything to the subscription agent and
a host of different publishers to sort out among themselves means that
everything would disappear into a black hole, and I would not know
when access has been set up or why it had failed, let alone what I
could do to change things.

It is worth the extra effort to be able to exert some influence on
events.

Of course, where access is available to the same publication via
different suppliers it is good to provide users with both alternatives.
This often offers them access to a greater range of issues, and gives
extra resilience in case one route is temporarily unavailable.  It is
important, however, to beware of the fact that two suppliers often
give access to the same files via different Web pages, and in this case
the gains are likely to by slight.

In fact the whole process of providing access to e-journals is still in
its very early days.  It needs to be sorted out root and branch before
a consistent and reliable service is available to all.  That is why it
is important for us all to make our ideas known in the hope that things
will not get worse before they get better.

Kelvyn Johns.

Department of Information Services,
University of Wales College of Medicine,
Heath Park,
Cardiff CF14 4XN
United Kingdom.

Email: [log in to unmask]

>
> Aahhh!!!
> No - that method's even worse!
> Getting hold of the correct number is a nightmare!
> And if we have to chase to get the number which we then have to spend much
> time activating online, are we gaining anything?
>
> With some sites they want a separate number for EACH journal.
>
> Some of them also want you to know every title of theirs (talking about
> publishers and sub agents here) to which you subscribe AND that they provide
> e-access to, and will only activate the titles that you ask for. (I'm only
> referring to 'free with print' titles).
>
> Even when it's a small publisher and access is only provided directly, they
> sometimes do not seem to know which titles we subscribe to.
>
> With SWETSNET, which has vastly improved I must say, they still say they
> cannot tell me when they have activated the e-access to a title that we
> newly subscribe to. How am I supposed to know?
>
> Sorry for all the gripes, but I'm sure some of you will recognise these
> frustrations!
>
>
> Sandra Morris
> Electronic Information Development Officer
> Hugh Owen Library
> Information Services,
> University of Wales, Aberystwyth,                     Penglais Campus,
> Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DZ
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Extension: 1892   Phone: (01970) 621892   FAX: (01970) 622404