Hi Sarah
I'm glad someone has raised this - we have also found this a growing
problem. Some small publisher access systems are rudimentary - and are
often just set up for single user access: even to the extent of allowing
students to alter the password which is set in the personal details.
Also some sites have a My Basket arrangement where someone who has
logged on as a single user can then order goods and services.
Surely Swets should be taking the lead on this and not passing on
requests for access to the publishers that are clearly inappropiate for
academic institutions, without checking their access first?
It wastes their time, just as much as ours!
thanks
Mark
Mark Brown
Electronic Services Librarian
Library Services
University of Central England
0121 331 5291
Electronic Services:
http://library.uce.ac.uk/frameEservices.htm
Troubleshooting Form:
http://library.uce.ac.uk/trouble.htm
"If you don't make mistakes, you're not trying hard enough!"
-Charlie Parker
-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sarah Pearson
Sent: 17 May 2006 09:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Activating e-journals - Single user access
Hello there,
I'm sure this query / concern has been raised on the list before but I
thought I would check to see if anyone else has found a resolution to
this problem!
We regularly get access notifications from our subscription agent -
Swets - with the details required to activate / register new e-journal
subscriptions. However, when we go through the (often detailed and
complex) instructions, we discover the access is only available for a
single user at either one IP address or with a single user username and
password. We waste quite a bit of time discovering this and it is very
frustrating. Swets do not often supply advice on whether it is a single
user access or not. I suspect that they don't get this information from
publishers / access providers although I am currently waiting for more
information on the process. Clearly the access is often completely
useless to academic institutions if it is.
Has anyone found a way around this? We can find out whether e-access is
free with a print subscription but this is often offered as campus wide
access anyway. We could also stop processing access notifications which
are password authenticated rather than Athens or IP authenticated but
then also providers do make passwords available for campus wide use.
I would be interested to hear if anyone has found a solution to this
problem or if it is something that staff activating e-journal access,
accept.
Many thanks in advance.
Sarah
Sarah Pearson
E-Resources & Serials Coordinator
Information Services
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham, B15 2TT
W. Midlands
tel: 0121 414 5825
email: [log in to unmask]
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