In response to the question posed by Karla Bennett / Wichita Public Library:
In relation to serials/periodicals, the term serials vendor or serials agent would be most accurate.
The University of Kansas Libraries uses many vendors for our serials, some vendors that are small & specialized, some country-of-origin, some larger & more general. The three major serials vendors (in the larger & more general category) we use are Ebsco Information Services, Swets Information Services, and Harrassowitz Subscription Services – all of whom can provide a wide variety of periodicals and serials. Harrassowitz (who has expanded their services to include titles published in the USA / North America in addition to the rest of the world) is also well-versed in providing monographic series, sets, and those less-frequent-than-periodicals publications that are published on a continuing basis (both regular & irregular). Harrassowitz also has a North American office located in Mobile, Alabama. Ebsco is the only one of these three that still operates out of regional offices (their central office being in Birmingham, Alabama), but they have consolidated several of those regional offices over the past few years. Each of these vendors/agents has their own online system with an extensive title list plus an array of services and tools available to help you manage quotes, orders, claims, renewals, and cancellations – you can use as few or as many as you like, it’s up to you. Which vendor or vendors you choose will depend on the number of titles/orders you have, the variety/complexity of titles, the languages, the formats, and of course your budget. They all handle e-journals and offer a variety of options and services for them.
Any serials vendor seriously interested in your business will be happy to review a list of your titles and needs, explain (and demo) their services, and offer you a quote on what it would cost to service your titles on an annual basis, including a thorough explanation of their fees and/or service charges – AND they will be willing to answer any/all questions that you ask. What is important is that you are clear on what you want, need, and expect in the way of service from whatever vendor or vendors you ultimately choose to use. The cost of doing business goes beyond providing current subscription formats and current, accurate pricing information – it includes (but is not limited to) the type of invoices and timing of them (paper? EDI? Both?) you require; what ILS systems do they work with & support; the response you expect when you claim; what claiming methods do they support (what are their turn-around times, what flexibility do they offer, etc.); how do they handle cancellations; what array of dedicated customer service do they offer AND support for your staff (ask for details beyond their ‘philosophy statements’).
Beyond some of the basics, each of our libraries and serials lists has its uniquenesses, so what vendor(s) might be a good fit for your titles & budget will depend on your own situation, expectations, needs, and most of all your own experience with the vendor(s) you choose. In other words, testimonials from ‘out here’ can give you only a general sense of the vendor(s) we use and how we view the levels of services we utilize and experience – your experience may or may not be the same, based on all of the above. Which reminds me to say that you can ask each vendor for references from current customers of the same type and size of library/account. On the flip side of that, if a vendor asks if I will provide a reference, I make it clear that I will give a balanced reference, giving the pluses and minuses of that vendor’s services, and also emphasizing that it is our perspective based on our experience over time, and others’ perspectives & experience might be quite different. That being said, any vendor worth their salt will not shy away from providing references that will offer a balanced perspective; i.e., a vendor should not provide references that will give only glowing comments. Balance is important. That’s why as part of your assessment of vendors & vendor services you ask for a list of references, that the list include at least three references as described above, and that the list include current customers who will give balanced comments. However, the choice has to be yours, based on your needs, requirements, and budget.
>
> From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
> Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 12:22 PM
> Subject: [SERIALST] Jobbers (are they still called that?)
>
> We are considering switching to another company for our magazine
> subscriptions and standing orders. Currently, we are using EBSCO.
>
> WTCox comes to mind, we considered using them a couple of years ago,
> but decided against them because they seemed to be having problems
> with their new database. Would one of their customers, please, give
> me feedback regarding their customer service and the ease of use of their database.
>
> Something I didn't care for much, was the fact they won't allow the
> customer access to their missing copy bank (mcb). So many times we
> have found the issue we need from EBSCO's mcb, but only after many searches.
>
> Can anyone suggest a different company to use for a public library in
> the Midwest?
>
> Karla Bennett
> Wichita Public Library
> 223 S Main
> Wichita, KS 67202
> To read fast is as bad as to eat in a hurry. -Vilhelm Ekelund, poet
> (1880-1949)
>
>