ACQNET v5n009 (March 20, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/serials/stacks/acqnet/acqnet-v5n009 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 9, March 20, 1995 ======================================== (1) FROM: Joe Barker SUBJECT: Correction in Caveat Emptor List (27 lines) (2) FROM: Carole Bell SUBJECT: Junk E-Mail (30 lines) (3) FROM: R. Russell Neuswanger SUBJECT: "Unfinished" LC Records (51 lines) (4) FROM: Heather Miller SUBJECT: Electronic Indexes with Full-text (24 lines) (5) FROM: Nancy Myers SUBJECT: Follow-up: Art Exhibition Approval Plans (25 lines) (6) FROM: Stephen Clark SUBJECT: Vendors for Screenplays and South African Materials (12 lines) (7) FROM: Andy Stewart SUBJECT: Broadwater Books (46 lines) (1)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 01 Mar 1995 16:27:41 -0500 From: Joe Barker (UC-Berkeley) Subject: Correction in Caveat Emptor list A number of libraries have the Caveat Emptor list, assembled by the ALCTS Publisher/Vendor-Library Relations Committee (PVLRC). This list erroneously includes the name of the publishing firm Oriental Research Partners (ORP), Newtonville, MA. The purpose of the Caveat Emptor list is to warn libraries to use caution in ordering from the firms on the list, because, in PVLRC's estimation, they may have been guilty of fraudulent vendor activity, especially regarding PVLRC's guidelines on prepayment of orders. As current chair of PVLRC, I have investigated to the best of my knowledge, what action put ORP on the Caveat Emptor list (this occurred before I was a member of PVLRC). I have found no evidence that ORP should be included in the list, and apologize to ORP. We do not wish in any way to imply that ORP is an unworthy firm. It has been in the Slavic book business for almost twenty-five years and provides a range of monographs, reprints, and used books, none of which is sold on a pro-forma basis. PVLRC has therefore removed ORP from our Caveat Emptor list, and I urge you to do the same. PVLRC is endeavoring to try to contact all of the firms now on the list in the hope of rectifying any other errors it may contain. I will keep ACQNET posted on the status of this project. JOE BARKER (2)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 02 Mar 1995 16:26:07 -0500 From: Carole Bell (Northwestern Univ.) Subject: Junk E-mail I have received my first direct junk e-mail message. It looked like a legitimate request from a student or faculty member requesting that I purchase a book for the library. On further examination, I realized that it was not from anyone at my institution, but from someone with a freenet address in California. I later found out that the same message had gone to a guy in the library computer center who is listed as a contact person on our WWW. I'm assuming this person went into the Library's home page and found out who was head of acquisitions and sent the message to myself and the other library contact. Actually I'm not sure this was done as a commercial ploy since the title is from a well known publisher and the sender seemed like an individual. However, I have heard that there is a new book or article that tells people how to make lots of money advertising on the internet. Just when we learned how to manage our junk mail and publishers blurbs, it looks like we will now be getting junk direct e-mail. Has anyone else seen this kind of thing? Carole R. Bell Acting Head. Serials & Acq. Northwestern Univ. Library 1935 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60208 (708) 491-8473 - Office (708) 491-7637 - Fax (3)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 15:08:53 -0500 From: R. Russell Neuswanger (Library of Congress) Subject: "Unfinished" LC Records To answer Beth Jacoby's point, I was *not* talking about CIP records: I presume everybody is familiar with them. I mean something else, and I don't know how familiar anybody is with it -- or can be, or wants to be. Let me take another shot. A lot of foreign-language stuff (at least; I don't do English) is of intermediate priority. LC means to do full descriptive and subject cataloging of it eventually, but it has to wait for times when people ave no more urgent work. And, of course, we're desperately understaffed. So an item may be under "initial bibliographic control" -- i.e., have an "apif" (this stands for "Automated Process Information File") record -- and sit, sometimes literally for years, on a shelf inside Cataloging. These records should have accurate (and individual!) titles, authors, series statements, collations, and ISBNs *at least*. They may or may not have any number of other things (added entries, subject entries, notes, ...), depending on whether they were initially created here (then they won't have any of that), or copied from other institutions' records (then they may have anything, but may have been seen by a descriptive cataloger only, or a subject cataloger only (at LC)). I'll skip going into details, let alone history, and just make one more point: *these* unfinished records, too, are accessible from outside LC. I don't know for sure how -- probably through telnet to LC-marvel, with searches qualified ;f=af (gets all records, including apif records) or ;f=apif (which gets only apif records), if that's efficient enough for acquisition purposes. I also don't know to whom: there certainly are people (NCCP libraries) that routinely not only access them, but upgrade them on our computer as well as their own -- and when I find one for a book I have, it can bypass our cataloging and go straight to the shelflist. I *think* anybody who can manage Net access to the LC catalog can get to these, and I presume anybody who can see them can copy them. Part of what I wanted to know was whether anybody besides outside catalogers actually look at them -- and, of course, what they like and don't. It's beginning to look like there's a whole resource here (possibly one of no acquisitions value) that not many people know about. I hope this explanation gets more of you to look and tell us -- especially if you find anything to like. R. R. Neuswanger, Ph.D., NRA life Balto-Fennic, Germanic, Romance AcqBibSuppProj (ABSP), LC Washington, DC 20540-4120 202.707.8747 (shared line) [Ed. note: I went into LC Marvel and searched for these types of records and actually found them. Looking into LC's catalogs is not a user-friendly experience but it can be done. Russell's explanations worked for me to test it out. I can see some merit for acquisitions work but only for the brave, the persistent and the research library environment. If anyone else out there has the time and the interest to pursue this (and its possible worthiness) please contact Russell or others at LC. We do appreciate his thinking of us!] (4)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 06 Mar 1995 16:16:30 -0500 From: Heather Miller (SUNY-Albany) Subject: Electronic Indexes With Full Text We are beginning to explore the feasibility of purchasing indexes with full text options such as the UMI "Jukebox" product from which one can print texts of journal articles. I would appreciate hearing from other libraries what index with full text products they have purchased and what they think of them, including information on cost and licensing. People can respond directly to me if they wish. I will be most appreciative of any information provided. Heather S. Miller Head, Acquisitions Dept. University at Albany State University of New York 1400 Washington Ave. Albany NY 12222 518-442-3626 fax: 518-442-3630 (5)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 10:35:12 -0500 From: Nancy Myers (Univ. of South Dakota) Subject: Art Exhibition Catalogs - Approval Plans Many thanks to my colleagues all over the U.S. and Canada for responding so promptly to my plea for assistance. Two plans were brought to my attention: 1) Worldwide Books 1001 West Seneca St. Ithaca, NY 14850 1-800-473-8146 They handle both U.S. and international catalogs in a variety of plans, tailored to suit the needs of the library. 2) Yankee Book Peddler 1-800-258-3774 They handle U.S. catalogs, according to a profile established for the individual library. I really appreciate the help which was so quickly and graciously provided. Hope that I can return the favor some day. What did we do before Internet? Thanks again. (6)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 08 Mar 1995 09:52:58 -0500 From: Stephen D. Clark (William & Mary) Subject: Vendors for Screenplays and South African Materials I would like to get some suggestions for good vendors for screenplays and for materials from South Africa. Please respond to me, and I will summarize for the list. Stephen D. Clark Acquisitions Librarian College of William and Mary phone: 804-221-3107 Williamsburg, VA 23185 fax: 804-221-308 (7)--------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 08 Mar 1995 10:23:08 -0500 From: Andy Stewart (Univ. of Missouri-Rolla) Subject: Broadwater Books Query Dear Colleagues: Is this one of those offers which appears "too good to be true"? I have seen promotional flyers for the same two encyclopedias from three different sources--with three different prices--as shown: TITLE Publisher "Big"vendor Broadwater _Encyclopedia of Academic Environmental Press/ $ 340. $ 329. Biology_ $475. (tent.) $495. (prepub) _Encyclopedia of Wiley/ Reagents for $2250. (prepub) $ 1995. $ 1665. Organic Synthesis_ My *limited* experience has shown that there can be very wide gaps in these prepublication offers. However, since I am unfamiliar with Broadwater specifically and the prices shown are substantially lower in comparison, my innate skepticism is kicking in. I'm suspicious by nature, and this sentence from the flyer only heightened that sense: "This offering will be made to about 200 librarians via e-mail and to about 100 via snail mail." Am I being played for a sucker or is this a legitimate offer? To their credit, Broadwater appears to be making use of the Internet (as they include a 'freenet.buffalo.edu' address) for both promotional literature and for placing orders. I'm looking for input. Does anyone have prior experience with Broadwater? Good?--or bad? If preferred, respond directly to me and I will summarize for ACQNET. Thank you very much in advance for any replies. -- Andy Stewart Wilson Library University of Missouri--Rolla 314.341.4007 ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 5, No. 9 ****** END OF FILE ******