Re: Hello and SOS! David Goodman 16 Dec 1999 15:08 UTC
It might be helpful to others to tell us the titles, publishers, and prices. The serials agent's quotation is merely a re-transmission of the publishers quotation; the agent sets neither the prices nor the policy. In general the serials agent is not to blame in a situation like this, but the publisher (unless the agent has actually made a mistake). -- David Goodman Biology Librarian, and Co-Chair, Electronic Journals Task Force Princeton University Library dgoodman@princeton.edu http://www.princeton.edu/~biolib/ phone: 609-258-3235 fax: 609-258-2627 Karen Chobot wrote: > > Len - I am going to be interested in seeing how other people deal with > this, but mostly I try to keep some budget in reserve since this problem > has been occuring more and more frequently lately. That much of a rise is > not common for most journals and magazines that smaller schools acquire, > but it has happened here to a lesser degree. Do you pay everything from > one invoice? If so, perhaps you could break up the ordering into two or > more separate invoices, putting the more costly items on the first invoice > and then adjusting with the later invoice to keep within budget. And I > would certainly look at how necessary any of those titles were to the > faculty, since they must be incredibly expensive all the way around. > Document delivery for needed articles might be a cheaper alternative. > > AT the moment, however, I don't see anyway around it but for you to find > the money somewhere. I have always assumed that once I have accepted the > annual renewal form, I am committed to those funds. therefore, I like to > be sure that I am not spending the whole thing at once and can use the > rest of the budget for some fudging if necessary. YOu might have to look > at cancelling some other serials that perhaps are on standing order (I > have several things that I do not get every year, just every other year or > every third year. Perhaps you can make an adjustment in that area.) Or > see if you can shift some funds from another area. > > You should not have to worry about your supervisor, since there was > nothing wrong with what you did. It should become a problem to be solved, > not a place to lay blame on someone. I am sure a good supervisor will > recognize that you did not make an error, that it is just the funding > problem with serials. > > And I have a question - how do you define the difference between serials > librarian and periodicals librarian? I have been called both (and other > things as well.) > > In any case, good luck. Karen Chobot > > >---------- Original message ----------- > >Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 18:50:04 -0600 > >From: Len Cazares <lcazares@LAREDO.CC.TX.US> > >Subject: Hello and SOS! > > > >Hello, > > > >My name is Len Cazares and I am new to the list. I have just become > >serials librarian, since I was already periodicals librarian. My problem: > >I recently received an invoice with price adjustments for our periodical > >subscriptions and have just been made aware three titles have increased a > >total of $1000, since the quote I was given this past summer! I've told > >our vendor rep I didn't have the funds to pay it and to cancel our > >subscriptions immediately. He told me I have to pay the invoice anyway, > >that they don't have control over this. I'll be speaking with his > >supervisor, and alas, will have to inform my director. Any suggestions on > >how to proceed with this situation? Also, I've just begun reading Chen's > >book, "Serials Management: A Practical Guide," 1995. Any other > >recommendations of books or articles to read to bring me up to speed? > >Thank you for just being there; I don't feel so alone. > > > >Sincerely, > > > >Len Cazares,Periodicals and Serials Librarian > >Harold R. Yeary Library > >Laredo Community College > >One West End Washington Street > >Laredo, TX 78040 > >956.721.5280 > >956.721.5447 fax > >lcazares@laredo.cc.tx.us > > Karen M. Chobot, MS, MLS > Reference/Serials Librarian > Mildred Johnson Library > North Dakota State College of Science > 800 N. 6th St. > Wahpeton ND 58076 > 701/671-2385 > > "I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and > outside the conventions and humdrum routine of daily life." Sherlock > Holmes, in "The Red-Headed League."