----------1
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:37:08 -0600
From: "John Lucas" <jlucas@rowland.umsmed.edu>
Subject: Re: OCLC's ECO Print Subscriber Program

TO Gloria and ALL:

This is our experience with ECO.

We originally started our ECO journey with a fair number of titles
(around 46) when it first got off the ground.  We strictly limited
ourselves to the PSP program publishers and titles which we could not
get any other way.

Over time, publishers have been making online access available in other
ways, either directly or through other aggregators, (Ingenta; Ingenta
Select;(Catchword; Emerald; Highwire, etc.)  When this happened, we
switched to those other means because the yearly ECO price, although
small, per title, was still a price we could not easily afford.

This policy does have the disadvantage of more maintenance.  Going with
ECO does make URL maintenance redundant. At the time, ECO, did not have
the ability to go directly to the journal title.  Access was convoluted.
and frustrating for our authorized end users.

I don't know WHEN ECO got the capability to URL directly to a
subscribed to journal title, (I only found out about it last week) but
now the titles can be set up directly (for On-Campus access), making it
a much better access which the patrons want.

We have also found that for some of our newer electronic titles, the
coverage through these other access points is LESS than through OCLC
ECO.  (sometimes 1 year, sometimes more)

So now we are beginning to add some new titles.  Also, there is one
publisher, so far, that appears to be using ECO as their sole access to
electronic access (3 titles for us)

As for paying more for those publishers that no longer offer e access
as part of Institutional Print Subscriptions, we do have a some for
2002, but our state / institutional budget crisis has forced us to stop
all such purchases for 2003. For these purchased titles, we went to the
publisher or through the Subscription Agent(s) for the Print +
Electronic Costs.

Sorry, but we have no experience using ECO as an alternative to the
Publisher Negotiation process.  (not much help in answering your
question)

BTW,If you've got the extra money for those 10-20+% electronic access,
send some our way.  (JUST A small/lousy JOKE)

Grateful for getting this off my mind (what's left of it)

John Lucas

Serials Librarian
University of Mississippi Medical Center
2500 North State St
Jackson, MS 39216-4505

(PH) (601) 984-1277
(FAX)  ( 601) 984-1262

----------2
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 09:17:58 -0800
From: Susan Anderson <sanderson@mail.ewu.edu>
Subject: Re: OCLC's ECO Print Subscriber Program

Gloria

    We instituted an ECO policy earlier this year.  We will pay up to
$30.00 per title for access to a journal through ECO.

Sue

> I am wondering what other libraries are doing about this. Are you paying the
> additional money in order to provide access?
>
> Instead of going through ECO, it seems like we are being forced to make
> agreements with each publisher, a nightmare? What incentive do we now have to
> maintain our online access through ECO?
>
> Gloria Slaughter

*****************************
Sue Anderson
Acquisitions & Electronic Resources Librarian
Eastern Washington University
JFK Library 100 LIB  816 F. Street
Cheney, WA  99004-2453
Phone:  (509) 359-7032
FAX:    (509) 359-2476
sanderson@mail.ewu.edu
*****************************