ACQNET v1n074 (May 12, 1991) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acq-v1n074 ACQNET, Vol 1, No. 74, May 12, 1991 =================================== (1) FROM: Christian SUBJECT: Who's new on ACQNET today (24 lines) (2) FROM: Marcia Tuttle SUBJECT: Gift subscriptions (90 lines) (3) FROM: Eric Carpenter SUBJECT: Gift subscriptions (16 lines) (4) FROM: Phil Dankert SUBJECT: British doctoral theses, University Microfilms International (27 lines) (1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: May 11, 1991 From: Christian Subject: Who's new on ACQNET today Mary Bowman Kenneth L. Kirkland Head of Acquisitions Serials Librarian De Paul University Library De Paul University Library E-mail: LIBMHB@DEPAUL.BITNET E-mail: LIBKLK@DEPAUL.BITNET A number of people have sent me messages asking to subscribe to ACQNET that clearly assumed that ACQNET was a LISTSERV. As a result I know nothing about them beyond their e-mail address and, for some of them, their names, which is not enough to welcome them here. They are: LIB_SYSESKEY@HLYCROSS.BITNET (Thomas Syseskey) ALI00ALH@UNCCVM.BITNET (Amanda Harmon) RBRUMLEY@LIBRARY.CALPOLY.EDU (Richard Brumley) FLANAGAN@MOREKYPR.BITNET (Gary L. Flanagan) JJOHNSON@USCN.BITNET (Jane Johnson) Folks, I may very well have met one or all of you before but, along with other signs of creeping senility, my memory is getting to be a problem. Won't you please come forward and send me the information I requested when you signed up so that I can add you to the directory? (2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 May 91 08:26 EST From: "Marcia Tuttle" Subject: Gifts subscriptions reprinted from _PRICING NEWSLETTER_, nos. 29, November 12, 1990, and no. 30, December 2 1990 In response to Ann McKee's query, here's the discussion from the Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues. Marcia. FROM NO. 29, NOV. 12, 1990. Marie Maroscia of Brooklyn College Library (DataLinx: BROOK) asked me a question the other day, and we thought we would like to hear from you about the issue. Here's her message: We have recently had to cancel many of our subscriptions because of budget constraints. Several faculty members have offered to pay for some titles they feel are vital to their students. We have some reservations about accepting their offer, since we feel it might be short-lived. Do you have any thoughts on the subject? FROM NO. 30, DEC. 2, 1990 GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM PROFESSORS: A RESPONSE TO MARIE MAROSCIA Anne E. McKee, George Mason University; DataLinx: AMCKEE. I've had some experience with what Marie was questioning in the last issue of the Newsletter, and I thought I would share my thoughts with you. 1. The first thing to consider is whether the professor(s) is willing to pay the individual rate or the institutional rate. Many times fac- ulty don't know there is a tiered structure and are horribly surprised when they discover the contrary. Also, there is the ethical and legal question involved in using individual rates for library use. Some publishers have gotten quite stringent in the last few years of in- vestigating any library where they believe the individual rate is being misused. Some of the publishers (as I'm sure you are aware) even print in bold letters across the front of the journal, "FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY!" 2. Once the pricing question is resolved: how does one go about paying for the journal? Should the professor pay directly for it or should the library handle all ordering procedures and then inform the profes- sor when the invoice arrives? This, too, is fraught with problems: a) suppose there have been budget cuts since the order was placed and the faculty member no longer has the dollars? b) what if the professor is on sabbatical or has left outright since the order was placed? Etc. 3. Then, once the order has been placed, how will it be received? By the professor, who will then forward to the library, or mailed direct- ly to the library? The claiming question must be resolved: does the professor do it or the library? What about renewal notices? I'll give you a quick run down on things I've had to consider when faced with professors who wanted to donate journal subscriptions: I. I personally find it unethical to accept a professor's offer of a journal subscription only to find out s/he means to order the "indi- vidual rate" and then give it to the library. I will refuse it every time. II. I have had numerous problems with obtaining the subscription if the offer for the institutional rate to be paid by the professor has been accepted. If the professor has it mailed directly to him/her and then forwards it to the library, there always seems to be an incomplete run. Many times the professor will retain the issues until s/he has about four or five of them and then send them over to the library, which means we never have the current issues on the shelf. If the donation is mailed directly to the library, I still seem to have more trouble than usual obtaining all the issues. 3. Renewals. I've had an inordinate amount of trouble in renewing these subscriptions. Professors leave campus and then we're forced to cancel again. Or, they can't afford to pick up the subscription so we're forced to cancel. It is especially bad when they offer to pay for a brand new subscription one year and then are not able to keep up the arrangement the next year. You have one year on the shelf; do you bind it or discard it? Etc. As you can see, there are many, many things to consider about gift donations. I think Marie should count herself very fortunate that the faculty on her campus care enough for the library and the students to want to retain the journals by assuming the payment. I personally believe that these gift subscriptions take up more staff time in or- dering and claiming than regular subscriptions and after being "burned" a number of times, will not usually accept the gift. Only Marie, however, can decide if these possible problems are outweighed by the fact that they can still make the title available to the stu- dents. Good luck!! (3) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 May 91 09:47 EST From: Eric Carpenter Subject: donating serials to libraries I may missed earlier messages on this subject, but I believe it is an important one. Therefore I will hazard a question on the issue. Isn't it somehow illegal for a publisher to forbid a personal subscriber to donate issues they have paid for to a library? Would one of our Law Library colleagues out there be able to check on this (without too much effort)? We have had this problem at Oberlin. A donor who had been donating issues of a particular medical journal to our Science Library sent us a letter one day. He said he could no longer keep donating the title because the publisher had forbidden him to do so. This donor was required to sign a statement from the publisher promising that he would not donate issues received on his personal subscription to any library. I would really like to know what experience other libraries have had with this issue. Also, what, if anything, can we do about this? (4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 May 91 10:43:35 EDT From: "Philip R. Dankert" Subject: British theses The following (obtained during a recent telephone conversation with our UMI Account Representative) will, I hope, shed additional light on the British thesis question. UMI does handle them as Lenore Coral pointed out in the May 8, 1991 issue of ACQNET. Two important factors to consider, however, are: 1. For approximately 50% of the British universities participating in this program a thesis declaration form must accompany the order. It states in effect that the dissertation in question cannot be copied or resold. Although theoretically the patron for whom it is being ordered should be the one to sign this form the Acquisitions/Collection Development Librarian can do so. The determining factor as to whether a form is needed (and UMI will supply them) is what appears before the UMI dissertation order number. The prefix D- indicates that one is needed; DX that it is not. 2. The price for British dissertations is substantially higher. A microfilm copy costs $74.00; for a softbound copy it is $127.50! Comparable prices for U.S. dissertations are $27.00 and $32.50. Also, sometime in late 1991 UMI will start handling Canadian dissertations. ***** END OF FILE ***** END OF FILE ***** END OF FILE ***** END OF FILE *****