AW: Request for information on book purchasing

["Engelland, Joachim" <Joachim.Engelland@degruyter.com>]

Dear Roel,

With reference to your question on how to order e-books:

At Walter de Gruyter we have just developed with Atypon an
integrated ebook/ejournal content delivery platform, and
therefore the questions you raise in your third paragraph with
reference to the fulfilment process have been foremost in our
minds. The challenge has been to define a process that involves
as little disruption to the librarian at the same time as
recognising that the content delivery path is different for
digital content to that of the physical book. With these
requirements in mind we have a workflow in place that allows you
to order e-book titles exactly the same way as printed books. The
process in outline is as follows:

1) Order with your preferred book seller or library vendor
(Blackwell, YBP, Harrassowitz, Starkmann etc. - the same as you
use for printed books)

2) We will require with the order the email address of the
librarian responsible for the e-acquisition, which could be the
Acquisition Librarian or the E-content acquisition specialist.

3) The book seller or library vendor then places the order with
our fulfillment partner (which is the same as for printed books:
Rhenus Medien Logistik).

4) Your invoicing will come from your library vendor or
bookseller (just as with your printed books)

5) The additional and important step is that you will get an
email from our customer service team at Walter de Gruyter letting
you know how to register and set up and administer access to this
content. This email will also contain a list of all the newly
purchased items.

We are hopeful that this process will prove to meet the needs of
librarians acquiring a variety of e-content. Your direct feedback
to me on this would be most welcome. Similarly if other readers
have specific feedback on this process please do not hesitate to
contact me directly.

Many thanks

Joachim Engelland
Verlag Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
Director Electronic Business

-----Urspr=FCngliche Nachricht-----
Von: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu Im Auftrag von Tilly R (UB)
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 21. August 2008 00:33
An: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Betreff: RE: Request for information on book purchasing

Dear Joe,

I have been following your opinions for some time and find them
very interesting especially on the book ordering issue.

First of all in answer to your request on monographic orders we
at the university library do not distinguish in the ordering of
monographs. We have two main book suppliers domestic and foreign.
In my view we have a contract with the bookseller and he has to
supply as offered. We don't think its sound business to be
preselecting the orders (you might be tempted to take the best
bits out), in some cases grey literature is the exception.

We at the university have a policy of supporting the local
bookseller so they can provide the best service for our
university students and staff.

What I'm more interested in and that's a fundamental question how
are we (librarians) going to order e-books from: Bookseller,
Wholesaler, or straight from the Publisher. I'm asking this with
the Big Deal (journals) in mind, with its advantages and
disadvantages.  And the fact that most publishers are presenting
impractical pricing models main issues in the discussions are:
packages, simultaneous users and site (access) definitions.

If you have any views or opinions on this I would appreciate these.

Regards,
Roel Tilly
University of Maastricht
Mail Address:
PO Box  616, 6200 MD Maastricht

Visiting Address:
Grote Looierstraat 17, 6211 JH Maastricht
T (043) 388 5091 | F (043) 3884888