----------1
From: Lynne Stevens <lstevens@rmwc.edu>
Subject: RE: Claiming (not statistics)
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 10:14:47 -0400

Jeanette -

I'll bet you a bowl of Haagen-Dazs that the person who saw your claim
misinterpreted it as a claim for no.4 of the current volume, instead of the
previous one, triggering the "not yet published."  You may want to resubmit
the claim, with the volume number and year in red or highlighted.  (Who
knows why they didn't respond in February, or why you didn't get the issue
in the first place.)

Lynne N. Stevens
Serials Coordinator
Lipscomb Library
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
2500 Rivermont Avenue
Lynchburg, VA  24503
434 947-8133
434 947-8134 FAX
lstevens@rmwc.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Skwor, Jeanette [mailto:skworj@UWGB.EDU]
Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 2:30 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Claiming (not statistics)

I'm going to resurrect the "Re: Claiming Statistics" conversation in hopes
of hearing some reasonable explanation of the following:

I claimed vol. 30, no. 4 (Dec. 2001) of _Language in Society_ on Februrary
13 of this year.  The previous issue had arrived mid-September, and my
expected-on date for it was Feb. 1.  On that date, I searched the UW-Madison
and U-Rochester library catalogs; both had received it.  I waited a bit in
case it was in transit, then claimed, as I said, on the 13th.

The next two issues, vol. 31 # 1 & #2 arrived in due order, and on May 14th
I claimed vol. 30 #4 again.

Today I received a response:  "Not yet published."

The claim was not lost in the mail or anywhere else - the claim response
lists "Customer claim date" as May 20.

Every library I have looked at online that subscribes to the title has
received it.  The Cambridge journals website for the title has a line that
proclaims, "To view a sample of this journal, click here."  When I click
there, I am treated to articles from vol. 30, no. 4.

I am boggled.

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept.
Cofrin Library
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
(920) 465-2670

----------2
From: "Mark Hemhauser" <mbhhbm@american.edu>
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 10:22:09 -0400

The publisher probably thought you were claiming v.31 #4, since v.30 #4 was
so old.

Some mighty big publishers make it very difficult for libraries to predict
when issues will be published and hence when to claim. Kluwer and Elsevier
and Mr. Cohen's press, Haworth, all have a habit of publishing "when
there's enough to fill an issue." And then sometimes they have so much to
fill an issue that they call it two issues. All three of these publishers
like the "semi-quarterly" model, as Kluwer calls it. Eight issues per year,
whenever. The issues do not have months in the cover date and the
publication frequency does not indicate what months they think they will
publish or not publish. It is very hard to determine approximate expected
dates, when last month you received two issues with last year's date and
this week (July 1) you receive the first issue of 2002 and there are seven
more coming, possibly before year end, and possibly not for twelve months.
Some will be double issues, no one knows today which will be "combined." I
really don't know how, but to guess when to expect these kinds of titles.
Claiming at the appropriate time is very difficult, try as I do.

And thank you Jeanette for bringing up Language in Society. It turns out we
have outstanding claims on v.30 #3 and #4. Three claims for the first and
two for the second. Make that four and three now. Anyone else have a
problem getting v.30:4?

Mark Hemhauser
American University Library