ACQNET v3n052 (June 4, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/serials/stacks/acqnet/acq-v3n052 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 3, No. 52, June 4, 1993 ==================================== (1) FROM: Martin Cohen SUBJECT: _Nederlandse Bibliografie, 1801-1832_ (20 lines) (2) FROM: Scott Wicks SUBJECT: _Nederlandse Bibliografie, 1801-1832_ (43 lines) (3) FROM: Eleanor Cook SUBJECT: _Nederlandse Bibliografie, 1801-1832_ (43 lines) (4) FROM: Peter Stevens SUBJECT: Indonesian vendors (10 lines) (5) FROM: Janet Arcand SUBJECT: _AL-RA'I_ (_Jordan Times_) (10 lines) (6) FROM: Bill Kara SUBJECT: Technical services work stations (25 lines) (1)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thursday, 03 June 1993, 07:33:27 EDT From: Martin Cohen (McGill University) Subject: _Nederlandse Bibliografie, 1801-1832_ This has been known to happen to us (unsolicited material looking like a freebie but with a cunningly buried invoice). My approach has always been the following: (1) Package it for return, and get it weighed. (2) Write to the vendor in question, requesting a cheque for the return postage plus a handling charge (which we determine). The understanding is no cheque up front, no return of books. Cheque is deposited into our postage account, of course. I know some libraries are in the habit of silently keeping all unsolicited material; but, from my point of view, this is only acceptable in the case of a genuine freebie. After all, the invoice WAS in there somewhere, so it's a matter of caveat receptor! (2)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1993 13:48:25 -0500 From: Scott B. Wicks (Cornell University) Subject: _Nederlandse Bibliografie_ Last week, I was feeling justified (rather smug, actually) in keeping an unsolicited "gift," adding the three-volume set to fill "an annoying gap in the Dutch Bibliography." We received the books accompanied by the letter which closes with the phrase "we trust that you will use this publication with pleasure." They never asked for money, though they did mention "trust." Did they make any reference to the price? No. Did they let us know that our vendor (which happens to be the publisher's distributor in Cornell's case) would be sending along the invoice under separate cover? No. Did they mention the reason we were sent these volumes? Yes and no. "As a subscriber to the _Dutch Bibliography_..." O'kay, my non-Dutch specialists who process gift-esque receipts search our catalog for _Dutch Bibliography_. Do they find a match? Nope. Oh, had they only brought the title to my attention, I surely would have made the connection to _Brinkman's cumulatieve catalogus van boeken_! Every acquisitions librarian knows that "catalogus van boeken" is Dutch for "Dutch bibliography." It must be the cataloger's fault for not tracing _Brinkman's ..._ with a parallel title for _Dutch bibliography_! I'd like to take the position that the vendor is sh^t-out-of-luck! If they want these volumes back, they owe us for the wasted processing time as well as the return postage. What to do? If I stick the vendor, s/he will most probably stop shipping our continuation for _Brinkman's _... Legally, I can keep these volumes without paying for them. Ethically, ?????? (3)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jun 1993 17:07:49 -0400 (EDT) From: Eleanor Cook (Appalachian State University) Subject: Marcia Tuttle's unsolicited "gift" Marcia Tuttle raises some good questions related to her anecdote of the "Dutch treat." Sending unsolicited invoiced materials is poor business practice, period. Companies that do this are costing us real money. Think of it this way: * Material is received, unpacked (Labor$) * ID is attempted (no purchase order, no check-in record, etc.) (Labor$ plus time$) * It gets bumped to the supervisor (more expensive Labor$) * Accountant verifies no purchase order (more Labor & Time$) * Collection development determines material not worth keeping (more $$$ for decision-making) * Phone call or letters to vendor, publisher, etc. etc. * Wait for mailing labels (even if post-paid, still have to sit on the material until they come) I guess that, if you break it down, it often can cost about as much as the material purchase price to send it back!! I want to mention another irritating practice that is similar. A phone call comes in one afternoon in the Collection Development Office of a Library. A student assistant answers the phone. Guy on other end asks for the Collection Development Librarian. "She's not in - may I leave a message?" "Yes, tell her that so-and-so from Shephard's called. The 4th volume of is available, oh, and by the way, what is your name?" Student gives her name. Two weeks later the material and invoice show up - with a note on the invoice "Ordered by Suzy Student." All she did was answer the phone and voila! We've ordered this thing. Lesson: collection development and acquisitions staff should be trained to be very careful when answering any calls from publishers or vendors. Expressing any interest (or just answering the phone at all) can result in a shipment. I think Marcia should ask the publisher for postage paid labels and ship it back, or tell them it has to be considered a gift. (4)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1993 08:35:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Peter Stevens (University of Washington) Subject: Indonesian vendors The address for this publisher, according to Saur's Publishers' International ISBN Directory, is Jln Palmerah, Selatan 22, Lantai IV, Jakarta 10270 Indonesia; no fax number. Since I think Berkeley has the book, maybe Joe Barker will tell you how he got it. The author's name is Rudie H. Kuiter, per Melvyl. (5)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jun 93 11:03:52 CDT From: Janet Arcand (Iowa State University) Subject: _AL-RA'I_ Is there anyone who could tell me of a reliable source for the Jordanian newspaper, _AL-RA'I_? Our current source, Colombos Distributors of New York, have turned out to be completely unreliable. AL-RA'I is sometimes known as _AL-RA'Y_ or as the _JORDAN TIMES_. (6)------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 Jun 93 08:40:48 EDT From: Bill Kara (Cornell University) Subject: Technical Services Work Stations [Message posted for Janet McCue; please see notes about replying at end of message.] I will be giving a talk at ALA on Technical Services Work Stations and would like to update my information. Since there are many interesting developments and experiments relating to technical services or catalogers' work stations which have not yet made it into the printed literature, I would appreciate hearing about your projects. If you have developed a work station for technical services staff, please describe briefly its features and list a contact person that I can call for further information. Please respond directly to me (address is given below). I shall prepare a summary of responses for posting. Thank you. Janet McCue, Technical Services Division, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 Bitnet: dz8y@cornellc Internet: dz8y@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 3, No. 52 ****** END OF FILE ******