ASA Documents
THE WORK OF SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS
The Service for Librarians
The good subscription agent will be offering many or all of the following services to librarians:
- Maintain accurate and easily accessible records with common expiry dates, wherever possible.
- Maintain up-to-date prices and journal information, backed up by a comprehensive collection of reference sources for tracing out-of-the-way titles.
- Process and order efficiently new subscriptions from the many thousands of possible suppliers.
- Avoid breaks in supply by renewing in good time.
- Offer a choice of whether subscriptions are handled on a one year only, or standing order basis.
- Produce accurate invoices, observing the customer's special requirements, including firm pricing, one line invoice, etc. which is something the publishers will not be able to do for libraries who deal direct. An increasing number of libraries now require machine readable invoices.
- Respond effectively to claims for missing issues and other queries. Provide advance information about delays in publication, title changes, etc.
- Produce catalogues and price quotations.
- Arrange for specimen copies to be sent.
- Pay publishers promptly to avoid breaks in the supply, and be able to pay in the various currencies of the world.
- Provide one source of information and build up a good personal relationship with the librarian.
- Reduce the library's overheads by taking on much of the workload, particularly at renewal time.
- Establish good relationships with publishers and become familiar with their individual working methods.
- Aid the library as much as possible with budgeting and financial management - offer credit terms, and a repayment plan which allows librarians to make the best use of their funds in a time of declining budgets.
- Provide management reports which help the librarian to manage the collection. Examples are:
- Three year price comparison giving the amount and percentage of increase in price.
- Subject lists which show how much is spent in each subject area.
- Country of origin - showing what geographical areas a library is buying from.
- Bibliographic holding lists - publisher, frequency, title changes etc.
- Complete holdings lists indicating status of publication - delayed titles, temporarily suspended, etc.
- Publisher lists - all titles published by a particular publisher.
- Union listing.
- Foreign language lists.
- Claims limits lists.
- Provide serial control systems, and electronic message switching services and on-line enquiry facilities.
- Back issues, microform, CD-ROM and electronic journal services.