I would agree with your subscription agent customer rep.    I would only notify any that I ordered direct.    If publishers don’t receive payment for print issues, they may send 1 or more “grace” issues (the average is about 3 months) and then stop.     I’ve had some send for a year (or more), but if you didn’t order or renew it then they can’t expect payment.  I’ve never had any publisher try to make me pay.   They may keep sending you renewal invoices, but they just want you to re-subscribe. 

I have had a problem with a print subscription for an individual subscriber (I handle medical center department print subscriptions).   Someone from a department  “forgot” they cancelled, then “renewed” on their own by filling out a renewal notice and saying “bill me”.    The publisher expected payment from them.

Hope this helps.

Shirley Rais, MLS  —  Chair, Serials & Electronic Resources Dept.

Library Liaison to the School of Public Health
LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY | University Libraries

11072 Anderson Street, Loma Linda, California 92350
office (909) 558-4583 · fax (909) 558-4919 · srais@llu.edu

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Diane Westerfield
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 1:59 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Cancellation question

Hi,

I am undertaking my first large print journal cancellation project.  My question to you serials veterans is:

Do I need to notify publishers directly about these cancellations?  Or is it sufficient, as my customer service rep says, for our subscription agent to not place an order and that will signify as a cancellation?

I’ve seen a few expensive titles linger on a year later than they were supposed to because the publisher wasn’t informed in time of the intent to cancel.  We are cancelling many titles (of publishers of varying size and type) and counting on the cost savings going forward.  I don’t want to see a single publisher come back and charge us for unwanted print.  However, notifying several dozen publishers of specific title cancellations would be a lot of work, I’d rather avoid any unnecessary projects.  Any words of wisdom on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Diane Westerfield

Electronic Resources and Serials Librarian

Colorado College, Tutt Library

(719) 389-6661

(719) 389-6082 (fax)

diane.westerfield@coloradocollege.edu