Interesting discussion on Backserv.  I am not sure if anyone remembers that Backserv was built as a free service over 20 years ago by Marilyn Geller and Amira Aaron when they worked for Readmore, one of the subscription vendors that Blackwell bought up and later part of the Swets merger.   I was President of Readmore at the time and we had over 500 hospital library accounts and Backserv was a little project to help exchange back issues between hospital libraries.  It was built as a free service using some extra server space as a community effort.  No one has made a dime on it and it has just continued in the background humming away.... until Swets moved and perhaps someone just forget it was there.

Swets should be credited for just keeping the application working..... folks we are talking about 20 years now and no income.  Just a service that was the creation of two fine concerned librarians that were working for a company that saw a basic need and did something about it.  The fact that anyone still supports it is amazing.  Even more amazing is that the service has lasted for 20 years!!

Dan Tonkery
President and CEO 
Content Strategies


-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Woodward
Sent: Jan 14, 2011 8:52 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Backserv?

The comments were not 'inappropriate' in a public forum.  Discussing your sexual proclivities in a public forum is inappropriate. 
Her comments were uncharitable and assumed something (that a commercial company in a competitive industry is a price-maker in a serious way) that is almost certainly wrong. 
 
We all ought to mind the p's and q's that matter and not invent unnecessary ones. 
 
IW
On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 4:59 PM, Rebecca Martinez <rannmart@rulmail.rutgers.edu> wrote:
Katy,
Thank you for sending your response! I found the comments to be very inappropriate for a public forum.

Rebecca Martinez
Distributed Technical Services Coordinator/Serials Team Leader

Email: rannmart@rulmail.rutgers.edu

Rutgers University Libraries
Alexander Library
Distributed Technical Services
169 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Tel: (732) 932-7388 ext. 119
Fax: (732) 932-8141


From: "Katy Ginanni" <ksginanni@EMAIL.WCU.EDU>
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2011 10:46:13 AM
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Backserv?

Just because a company is in business to make a profit (most of them are; it’s kind of the point of capitalism) does not make them unethical.  What you say here borders on the libelous.  You should more carefully consider what you post in a public forum.

 

Katy G.

 

 

 

Katy Ginanni, Collection Development Librarian

President, NASIG

Hunter Library, Western Carolina University

176 Central Drive

Cullowhee, NC 28723

ksginanni@email.wcu.edu

828-227-3729 office

828-227-7380 fax 

 

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Melinda Shedlarz
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 8:43 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Backserv?


Well, it is a good thing they don't, isn't it since the list hasn't been functional for going on almost a month now. 

We may not pay for this list, but I can guarantee you Swets finds other ways to price gouge.  It is beyond a disgrace that there has been absolutely zero updates about this from this so called Swets representative.  With their resources you'd think fixing a simple error such as this would be within their means.

Melinda J. Shedlarz

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 9:37 AM, Sarah D Tusa <sarah.tusa@lamar.edu> wrote:

To my knowledge, Swets does not charge for using Backserv.

Sarah Tusa
Lamar University

From: "Melinda Shedlarz" <mshedlarz@GMAIL.COM>
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 8:18:18 AM
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Backserv?



I'm very disappointed that the Backserv list is still not working correctly, and we've had no updates from the Swets representative either since her initial e-mail.

Another example of the corporate big wigs taking our money and running.  (Huh??)



Melinda J. Shedlarz






--
I. Woodward
Serials Desk
Colgate University Libraries
Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, N.Y. 13346

Ph.:   315-228-7306
Fax:   315-228-7934

I haven't gone anywhere.  I'm employed.  -  Joe DiMaggio  [att.]