ACQNET v2n033 (March 5, 1992) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acq-v2n033 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 2, No. 33, March 5, 1992 ===================================== (1) FROM: Lawrence Caylor SUBJECT: Revisionist Press (11 lines) (2) FROM: Helmut Schwarzer SUBJECT: Revisionist Press (8 lines) (3) FROM: Ann Palomo SUBJECT: Revisionist Press (11 lines) (4) FROM: Lynne Branch Brown SUBJECT: Indian publishing, Indian bookselling (9 lines) (5) FROM: Michael Keller SUBJECT: Indian publishing, Indian bookselling, DK Agency (59 lines) (6) FROM: Rosann Bazirjian SUBJECT: Ordering staff productivity (9 lines) (7) FROM: Eileen Hardy SUBJECT: ACRL Program on innovations in libraries (16 lines) (1) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1992 11:57:34 -0500 From: Lawrence Caylor Subject: Revisionist Press Regarding _Nutritive Value of American Foods in Common Units_, the edition mentioned was published in 1984, while OCLC shows a 1989 edition from the U.D. Dept. of Agriculture. Given a choice, the more current would seem preferable. Interestingly, Revisionist's edition does not appear on OCLC, which should raise a red flag; BIP is, after all, something less than an accurate reflection of current publication, as every vendor knows and every acquisitions department dreads. (2) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 04 Mar 92 10:49:12 EST From: Helmut Schwarzer <70713.3011@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Peter Lang As long ago as the early 80's, most jobbers, including Yankee Book, had placed Revisionist Press and its imprint Martin Buber Press on the list of houses that they would not do business with. The main reason: non-fulfillment of orders despite (mandatory) prepayment. Caution is advised. (3) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5 Mar 92 14:13:00 EST From: Ann Palomo Subject: Revisionist Press This won't help Judy Reike identify her publication but it might, unfortunate- ly, give her some idea of how difficult a task it could be. We haven't dealt with Revisionist Press for some time. It's been so long that we don't have exact statistics on their performance, but the basic problem was not receiving shipments, refunds, or adequate responses to inquiries for prepaid orders. Book House tells us that they haven't dealt with Revisionist since 1983 for the same reasons. (4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 08:22 EST From: Lynne Branche Brown Subject: Indian Booksellers & Publishing A recent issue of _Publishers Weekly_ (I saw it two weeks ago, but it could have been published anytime between December and February. I'm sorry I don't have the specific date) had a multi-page insert all about publishing and bookselling in India. It went into great detail about "the state of the art" as well as providing names and addresses. (5) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 04 Mar 92 08:45:31 EST From: Michael A. Keller Subject: Graham Black's inquiry on Indian Publishing Here are a few remarks in response to yesterday's ACQNET query from Graham Black about Indian publishing and Indian booksellers. The respondent is not an Indologist, nor has he been deeply involved in the Indian book trade. On the other hand, he has just returned from 12 days in India attending the 24th Congress of the International Publishers Association and the New Delhi World Book Fair, as well as meeting with a few prominent Indian book exporting firms. The following remarks should be checked with real specialists working at research libraries which have been building significant collections of South Asian books for some time, such as Jim Nye at the University of Chicago, Ken Logan at UC/Berkeley, David Magier at Columbia (Magier participates in a S.A. coordinated acquisitions project involving Columbia, Penn, and NYU), and others. Some Indian publishers specialize in works of one of the many official languages of the Republic. Many produce English works, often licensed by British and American publishers. A number of Western publishers have Indian subsidiaries (Wiley, OUP, Sage...) and they publish in English. A large number (5,000-6,000?) titles are published annually in English, but many are reprints and some in the past have been pirated editions (though I suspect that few of the pirated editions were intended for anything but internal markets). India just agreed to put teeth into their enforcement of the copyright, patent, and trademark agreements to which they are party, so there is reason to expect fewer pirated editions. The book exporting firm I have had experience with for the past 22 years (many as a music librarian, admittedly) is the DK Agency in New Delhi (A/15-17, Mohan Garden, Najafgar Road, New Delhi 110058 INDIA, telephone -- 91-11-559-8899; fax -- 91-11-559-8898). DK provides a bibliographic alert service at least two and often four years ahead of the Indian national bibliography, organizes subject lists, provides approval plans, serves as a subscription agent, etc., etc. In every way DK is much like our best library agents, offering specialized services in personable ways. They bill in dollars as the Indian rupee is not a convertible currency. DK employs about 150 people in a large complex and can ship in any number of ways. K. Rai Mittal and Ramesh Mittal, sons of the founder, are the directors of DK. They and most of their staff read and write fluent, elegant English. DK has exceptional connections to the publishers in India and their booth at the New Delhi World Book Fair was by far the largest, best staffed, and most copiously stocked one I saw (I saw all of them). Given that my business dealings with them have been limited in titles, but extensive over time, I am able to recommend them with enthusiasm. There are other book exporting firms, but I know little of them except from my meetings with them in New Delhi last month, so I cannot speak to their services or performances. As the Indian polity and national financial system change, since the demise of the Soviet Union (which was a major supporter of the Indian system of national socialism), and with the massive shift of India's government toward the major international economic and political powers, there is every reason to predict alterations to the Indian book trade as well as to our interest in their current and future events. This suggests that some care should be taken to do business with an established, knowledgeable, and connect- ed book exporter. (6) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1992 08:50:55 EST From: Rosann Bazirjian Subject: Staff productivity, ordering Do any libraries have statistics on the number of orders that staff should be able to create/input per day? I would like to give my staff some guidelines or goals on the quantity of orders they should be placing each day, but do not want to pick an arbitrary number. We are a NOTIS site, so if any NOTIS librar- ies have such statistics, it would be even more helpful. (7) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 13:56 EST From: Eileen Hardy Subject: ACRL program on innovations in libraries The ACRL/College Libraries Section Conference Program Planning Committee for New Orleans is interested in hearing about innovations currently taking place in college library settings. The focus of the Summer 1993 program will be on leadership and innovation in college libraries. Toward that end, the planning group would like to hear about creative/innov- ative initiatives in the areas of bibliographic instruction, reference, collection development, technical services and, of course, new information technology. At this point we are in the information gathering stage. Please respond by June 1, 1992, with brief descriptions of your innovation(s) to Bart Harloe: BHARLOE@ROCKY.CLAREMONT.EDU ******* END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 2, No. 33 ****** END OF FILE *******