3 messages, 126 lines:

(1)-------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 09:56:06 -0500
From: "Morris, Jody" <Jody.Morris@fema.gov>
Subject: divine/faxon, etc.

I emailed our account rep on Wednesday, and I got a call back from someone
else yesterday.  Here is the gist of what she told me:

* They are not processing any new orders
* They are not accepting any, and
* They are not paying any

She said it "may be difficult to contact them after a time."  She also said
they had not been given the authority to contact any customers, they could
only take incoming calls/emails.  She also said they (in the Mass. office)
didn't know there was a problem until last Friday, the 13th, at 2pm.  I'm
not sure why I got a call back when other people didn't, but she also said
that some people had been let go already and with the amount of calls/emails
they are getting they are probably swamped.

Jody Morris
Serials Technician
National Emergency Training Center Library
FEMA

jody.morris@fema.gov
(301) 447-1354

(2)-------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 10:02:11 -0500
From: "Roncevich, Patricia" <PRoncevich@pts.edu>
Subject: Vendors

Hello to All  (particularly Faxon/ Divine customers),

Yesterday I was able to get a call throught to the rep and today was
greeted with the message to contact DSI.  There is to be a financial
strategy plan sent out to all of us next week as I learned in a phone call
to DSI this morning.  But while this plays out I need to scramble for a
new vendor. We have had great success with Harrasowitz for all of foreign
journals and will switch about 100 titles to them but for the remaining
400 I need an American vendor.  Does anyone have any suggestions about
other vendors besides EBSCO. If so please let me know and Happy Holidays.

Pat Roncevich
Serials Librarian

Clifford E. Barbour Library
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
616 N. Highland Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

412-441-3304 x2179
PRoncevich@pts.edu

(3)-------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 11:26:54 -0500
From: Gloria Slaughter <slaughterg@hope.edu>
Subject: RE: Faxon/RoweCom/divine

Was just wondering if every Faxon customer received the message sent to
the klibrary administrator regarding their financial situation. Maybe this
would not be a public announcement but at least some attempt to contact
their customers. We spoke briefly with our Faxon rep this morning and she
was not optimistic (no real new information)

>===== Original Message From "SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum"
<SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU> =====
>The most scary part of this situation (aside from the fact that Faxon hasn't
>responded in any official way thus leading one to believe that the very
>worst of all worst-case scenarios has happened) is that this significantly
>narrows libraries' choices as to subscription agents ... maybe it's time for
>some enterprising folks to consider providing other alternatives (i.e.,
>another serials jobber!) simply in order to maintain a healthy climate of
>choice and competition.
>
>Peter Picerno
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
>[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU]On Behalf Of Rick Anderson
>Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 6:54 PM
>To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
>Subject: Re: Faxon/RoweCom/divine
>
>
>> ***Winnie-the-Pooh must have a saying that covers this, but I am not
>> coming up with it.
>
>I believe the one you're thinking of is "Oh, bother!" (or its intensified
>version, "Oh, help AND bother!").
>
>To my mind, what is most telling in this situation is the fact that Faxon
>has not yet responded publicly after two days of fairly intense online
>conversation on this topic.  If they had anything reassuring to tell us, I'm
>fairly certain they would have done so by now.  The fact that they have not
>yet said anything in this forum strikes me as a very discouraging sign.
>
>I wonder what effect this exchange has had on EBSCO's Q3 sales forecasts?
>;-)
>
>-------------
>Rick Anderson
>Director of Resource Acquisition
>The University Libraries
>University of Nevada, Reno          "It takes a pretty good
>1664 No. Virginia St.                meeting to be better
>Reno, NV  89557                      than no meeting at all."
>PH  (775) 784-6500 x273                -- Boyd K. Packer
>FX  (775) 784-1328
>rickand@unr.edu

Gloria Slaughter
Technical Services Librarian
Van Wylen Library
Hope College
53 Graves Pl.
Holland, MI  49423
slaughterg@hope.edu
(616) 395-7793