EBSCO service

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

This newly announced EBSCO serice may not be useful at a consortial
licensing level, but it certainly will impact individual libraries.  
Simultaneously with our having received a letter from Wiley Interscience
offering us free access in electronic form to all the titles we take in
print (this was an offer to Yale, and so I presume it was made to all
other libraries), we also received notification of a new service from
EBSCO (and accordingly are contacting our other major subscription vendors
to see if they will offer the same).  The short form is that so many
e-subs are now available for free if libraries take the print version,
that EBSCO is offering to instate them for us, at least on a limited basis
doing the legwork for the startup.  Even though a limited service, it's
nonetheless a great idea.  The letter is reproduced below.

Of course the matter of other license terms (besides price) are not
addressed here.  I'd be interested in hearing from all our subscription
vendors about whether they too offer such a service and the extent to
which they would record our license needs and convey them to the
publishers, or vice versa.

Ann Okerson
Ann.Okerson@yale.edu

_________

September 21, 1998

Dear Customer

EBSCO has implemented a new letter service to advise customers of free
on-line access for existing print subscription orders. As publishers
notify EBSCO, we will send you a notice if our records show you are only
subscribing to the print format.

Please indicate your choice of the following:

1.  I wish to always receive free on-line access.
2.  i do not wish to receive free on-line access on any title.
3.  I would like to review free on-line access on a title by title basis.

If you are interested in receiving the free on-line access, please provide
the following information. This information is needed for all future
electronic journal processing:

- main contact name
- phone, fax, e-mail for the contact
- IP addres range

If you do opt for free on-line access now and a publisher later decides to
begin chargning for the on-line verson, our default will be to return your
order to print only. We will, however, notify you, giving you the option
of continuing the on-lne version on a paid basis.

EBSCO hopes these new alert letters for on-line journals will be helpful.

Sincerely,

Patricia S. Coan, Manager
Customer Service Department