While this paper is slanted towards the supply of serials to Libraries it should not be forgotten that some members of the Association of Subscription Agents encourage orders from individual subscribers as well as institutions. They may also specialise in certain subjects such as the Biological Sciences for example, and act as distributors for publishers in their particular field.
The supply of periodicals relies on mutual trust between the librarian, agent and publisher, and it usually works well. Large sums of money change hands before any goods are received, which is quite contrary to normal commercial practice. Most agents do not see the titles they are selling because they are posted direct to subscribers (apart from those agents who offer consolidation). It is a gigantic operation and without integrity and mutual confidence the system fails.
The agent can easily be sabotaged by an inefficient or indifferent publisher. In these days of economic difficulties it is of course very important that the agent is financially sound and has adequate resources to run the business. The agent forms a vital link in the information chain of author, publisher, librarian and reader. Everyone likes a quiet life with the minimum hassle and by providing an efficient service the agents hope to achieve this.
A librarian concerned about service charges should check to see how much it costs his/her institution to raise an order and pay a publisher direct, particularly if it is in a foreign currency. Added to which is the cost of dealing direct for claims etc. This cost may be far higher than the service charge made by the agent.
Although agents may be unable to offer discount as such, a number do make it possible for the librarian to deposit money in advance and benefit from interest that this earns. This is a useful scheme as many librarians are not allowed to invest through the normal channels themselves.
The agent should be the expert who relieves the library of a large administrative load by providing a convenient and reliable method of procuring journals from all parts of the world.
A good analogy is the travel agent: