[Eril-l] Publisher complaint -- how would you respond?

Fri Jul 29 07:50:37 PDT 2016

I would be tempted to email the sales rep and their manager and write, "In
reviewing our predicted budget cuts we have discovered we will be able to
retain at least one of the expected cancellations. Due to the email sent to
our faculty member it won't now or in the future be one from (name
publisher). We must insist on doing business with professional companies at
our institution."

On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 9:43 AM, Arndt,Theresa <arndtt at dickinson.edu> wrote:

> The examples being shared are disturbing, however I just want to mention
> that sometimes it is just cluelessness on the part of individual reps.  I
> think it is always worth attempting to explain why the behavior is
> inappropriate.  We recently had a vendor directly contacting our faculty,
> and when I explained why that was inappropriate since the library was
> paying for the subscription they changed their policy.   It was a
> relatively new company run by enthusiastic people who have never actually
> worked in a library.  We basically had to educate them about how libraries
> work!
>
>
>
> That said, this does seem like a particularly egregious situation, and I
> do hope the original poster will let us all know the outcome.
>
>
>
> Happy Friday everyone!  - Theresa
>
>
>
> Theresa Arndt, MLS
>
> Associate Director for Library Resources and Administration
>
> Library and Information Services
>
> Dickinson College
>
> P.O. Box 1773
>
> Carlisle, PA 17013
>
> voice:  717-245-1750
>
> fax:  717-245-1439
>
> arndtt at dickinson.edu
>
>
>
> *From:* Eril-l [mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org] *On Behalf Of *Sally
> Krash
> *Sent:* Friday, July 29, 2016 8:55 AM
> *To:* eril-l at lists.eril-l.org
> *Subject:* Re: [Eril-l] Publisher complaint -- how would you respond?
>
>
>
> I had this happen once in my previous library. An OA publisher/platform
> provider actually put up a notice on their website (limited to our IP
> range) that stated that the XX Library did not support their platform. How
> unprofessional! A professor sent us the information, and mind you, he was
> not asking us to provide support, he just was asking us what was going on.
> The provider had never even reached out to the library to ask us to provide
> support. Our response? A decision was made to pay the fee for membership
> support of the platform. I could not believe it. That will only encourage
> this kind of activity, but the decision was made above my level.
>
>
>
> Sally
>
>
>
> *From:* Eril-l [mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org
> <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org>] *On Behalf Of *Boone, Susan
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 28, 2016 5:01 PM
> *To:* Sathi, Katherine; eril-l at lists.eril-l.org
> *Subject:* Re: [Eril-l] Publisher complaint -- how would you respond?
>
>
>
> If it were me, I’d respond to the faculty member once you identify
> whatever seems appropriate in this circumstance to rebuild trust that the
> Library is in fact working with faculty and the curriculum in mind. (If at
> all possible, *maybe* consider soliciting feedback from other members of
> that department or identifying alternative resources.)
>
>
>
> As for the publisher rep, I find this not simply arrogant but
> unprofessional:
>
> *I'm not sure whether or not staff has even been consulted on this matter
> (my suspicion is that it was not)*
>
>
>
> It makes me think that any amount of time and effort responding to the rep
> would be a complete and total waste of time, as temped as I might be. Reps
> routinely contact faculty. To have a rep actively trashing your working
> relationships is unacceptable. That’s worthy of a response to the most
> appropriate person at the publisher.
>
>
>
> Please let us know how it plays out.
>
>
>
> Best of luck!
>
> Susan
>
> ________________________________________
>
> Susan Boone
>
> Collection Management
>
> UCSF Library
>
> tel: 415/476.8410
>
> mailto:susan.boone at ucsf.edu <susan.boone at ucsf.edu>
>
> PPlease kindly consider the environment before printing this email
>
>
>
> *From:* Eril-l [mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org
> <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org>] *On Behalf Of *Sathi, Katherine
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 28, 2016 11:01 AM
> *To:* eril-l at lists.eril-l.org
> *Subject:* [Eril-l] Publisher complaint -- how would you respond?
>
>
>
> Hello my fellow beleaguered eresource librarians –
>
>
>
> Like many libraries, we are cancelling some subscriptions beginning in
> 2017, for budgetary reasons.  After consulting with faculty in their
> respective areas, subject librarians identified titles to cancel to meet
> their individual budget targets.  I sent the compiled list of cancellations
> to all subject librarians at the end of May, and my staff begin notifying
> the vendors and publishers of our cancellation decisions this week.
>
>
>
> Today a faculty member forwarded the following email  from a publisher:
>
>
>
> “Dear colleagues -- I regret to inform you that your library has taken the
> decision to stop the subscription to [database name] of Washington
> University at St Louis, despite steady usage by students during the
> academic months of the year. I'm not sure whether or not staff has even
> been consulted on this matter (my suspicion is that it was not). We have
> asked them to provide us with some reasons why they have made this decision
> and will inform you when they get back to us.  We would be grateful if you
> could take this issue up with your library representative, if you wish your
> students to benefit from continued access to the LE. Let me know if I can
> provide you with further details.  Thank you for your attention and
> support, as ever, xxx”
>
>
>
> The faculty member asked us, “Can you please let us know when and how this
> decision to cancel was made and whether faculty were involved?”  (The
> database was paid for from one subject area, the faculty members contacted
> by the publisher are in a different department).
>
>
>
> I’m curious to know, how would you respond to the faculty member?  What
> would you say to the publisher, if anything?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kate
>
>
>
> Kate Sathi
>
> Databases/Serials Librarian
>
> Washington University in St. Louis
>
> ksathi at wustl.edu
>
> 314.935.3363
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>

-- 
Cristie Ferguson
Director of Library Services
M.P. Baker Library
Panola College
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