Role of the Subscription Agent5th March 2009
Helen DonohueBusiness Solutions Executive
Agenda
Who are the Agents...
Who Agents Serve and What Agents Do
How is the Agent Financed
Services to Libraries and Publishers
Moving toward an ‘E’ environment
Summary
Who are the Agents...
Swets
EBSCO
Prenax
Local Agents
Who do Agents Serve?
Academic Libraries Government Libraries Health Libraries including NHS Local Authorities / Public Libraries Corporations / corporate libraries – R&D and
otherwise
STM (Scientific, Technical, Medical) highestexpenditure : Academic biggest single marketglobally
What do Agents do?
What do Agents do?
How is the Agent Financed?
Agent LibraryPublisher
Commission
Service Service
Service charge
Services to Libraries – Print:
Day-to-day Management
Single customer service contact (local language)
One invoice source
Simplified renewals and ordering
Price analysis and management reporting
Journals, Newspapers, Books and Loose-leafs
Consortia buying
Consolidation service
Services to Libraries – Online:
Day-to-day Management
Access and License Management
Publisher access terms and license info stored
Set up via aggregator or direct with publisher
Multiple user trials and negotiations
eJournals, eBooks, ePackages and eDeals
Services to Publishers
Financial Risk Management Help cash flow Administrative management “Many to One”
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Doing business electronically saving time and money! Automatic transmission of orders, pricing,
invoicing and claims
Management Information Financial Information Renewal status reports Claims reports
Services to Publishers
Visibility Agents can enable publishers to enhance their
position in the market Participation in Gateway Services Online management tools – Increasing
awareness
Active Representation Inclusion in local or global newsletters Targeted marketing activity on behalf of
publishers
Moving toward an ‘E’ environment
Over 50% of agents’ business is now in electronic format
‘E’ through the Agent : Benefits to Libraries
Saving time and money
Complete overview of publisher offers and pricing
Training and Advice
Updates and alerting services
‘E’ management/package support
Comprehensive reporting for collections and budgeting
Single contract for orders and payments
‘E’ resource tools to help acquire, access and manage content
‘E’ through the Agent : Benefits to Publishers
Cost savings
Dedicated customer support through the Agent
Payments in advance
Bulk orders and payments
‘E’ Journal licensing co-ordination
‘E’ Package management
Training customers
Promoting services to an extensive customer base
Hosting sites
Summary
Subscription Agents are:
The key intermediary between Publishers and Libraries in all markets
The hub – offering a single point of contact for both parties
Providers of services that deliver administrative and financial benefits
Industry experts in an environment of rapid change
Thank you for listening
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