I agree with Jeanette. The vast majority of journal publishers renew subscriptions only when they get an order with prepayment, whether it’s from a subscription agent or directly from the library.  No order, no subscription.

But if you tell them to cancel, there is a good chance that at least some will understand that to mean cancel your current (i.e. 2009) subscription, and you will not get the remainder of your issues.

The exception, as someone noted (maybe that was also Jeanette!) is standing orders.  For standing order titles, agents send an order to a publisher that basically says, “Send volumes of this title to the library as they are published, and don’t stop sending them until we tell you to.”  For those orders, agents must send a cancellation notice.

So, yes, your customer service representative was correct.  If you note on your renewal list DO NOT RENEW for subscription titles, they will not send a renewal order to the publisher, and your subscription is, in essence, cancelled. 

I can see that the semantics are a little confusing, because those of us in libraries talk about CANCELLATION PROJECTS.  Right?  But for subscriptions, what we’re really doing is NOT RENEWING.  J

Katy G.

Katy Ginanni, E-Access & Serials Librarian and liaison to Soc/Anth & WAGS

Trinity University

Elizabeth Huth Coates Library

1 Trinity Place

San Antonio, TX 78212-7200

210-999-7613 ph.

210-999-8182 fax

katy.ginanni@trinity.edu

"We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it." --Jerome John Garcia, 8/1/42-8/9/95

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Skwor, Jeanette
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:57 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Cancellation question

What it boils down to, then,  (cancellation vs. non-renewal) is   whether you prefer to deal with issues running on over your subs period, or claiming & trying to obtain issues that were included in your subs period.

Thanks,

Jeanette Skwor

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Wilma Dague
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 9:58 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Cancellation question

Simply not renewing, whether with an agent or without, is often not enough. Ask them to CANCEL, as many publishers will just assume you are late to renew. We did a similar project, and several publications kept sending. For smaller ones, I contacted them myself after they reminded us a few times. No one has insisted we pay for these “courtesy” extensions, but ethically, it seems better that we don’t let them send extra issues.

Best regards,

Wilma Weant Dague
Serials  Coordinator
Benedictine College Library

St. Benedict's Abbey Library
1020 North 2nd St.
Atchison, KS 66002

(913) 360-7610
wdague@benedictine.edu

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Diane Westerfield
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:59 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