In the fall of 2014 there was a lot of list traffic asking why libraries would want to use subscription agents when it is cheaper to deal directly with the publisher. Shortly thereafter the Swets bankruptcy was announced and flashbacks to the Faxon/divine debacle came to the forefront. While exploring the advantages of using an agent for both libraries and publishers, panelists will respond to questions developed based on a survey of NASIG members and SERIALST subscribers. We will also provide a check-list of questions and tips that librarians can use to assess an agent’s financial health as well as gauge the quality of service. Moderator Susan Davis Acquisitions Librarian for Continuing Resource, University at Buffalo (SUNY) Acquisitions Librarian for Continuing Resources and long-time NASIG member. Speakers Deberah England Electronic Resources Librarian, Wright State University Deberah is the Electronic Resources Librarian at Wright State University and frequent NASIG presenter. She founded the Great Lakes E-Resources Summit, which has become a very successful regional conference. Tina Feick Director of Sales and Marketing, North America, HARRASSOWITZ Booksellers and Subscription Agents Tina is a long-time NASIG member and former NASIG President who has presented at many NASIG conferences. She had worked at the Free Library in Philadelphia and Princeton University Library before joining the Boley Subscrpition Agency. After working for Blackwell Periodicals, Swets-Blackwell and then Swets, she is presently Kimberly Steinle Library Relations and Sales Manager, Duke University Press Kimberly Steinle is the Library Relations and Sales Manager for Duke University Press. Kim has worked at the Press for over 10 years and is responsible for institutional subscription revenue through the sale of electronic collections and through communication with the library community. Acting as an advocate for librarian interests in the development and implementation of pricing models is a priority for Kim, and she has successfully created several pricing models for Duke’s electronic packages, including the e-Duke Journals Scholarly Collection. As an active participant at major library conferences, Kim serves on several committees with a special interest in publisher/librarian collaboration, such as the Shared e-Resource Understanding (SERU) Standing Committee.

1. 1
Subscription Agents: Selected bibliography
Compiled by Susan Davis
Association of Subscription Agents & Intermediaries. For Librarians. “Benefits to
libraries/consortia of using agents and intermediaries” http://subscription-agents.org/libraries
(accessed May 21, 2015)
Association of Subscription Agents & Intermediaries. For Publishers. “Benefits to publishers”
http://subscription-agents.org/publishers (accessed May 21, 2015)
Busby, Lorraine. “How Did We Do?” The Serials Librarian, 65:no.3/4 (2013): 252-260.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2013.838199
McKee, Anne, Margaret Donahue Walker and José Luis Andrade. “Shaping, Streamlining, and
Solidifying the Information Chain in Turbulent Times,” The Serials Librarian, 62:no.1/4 (2012):
103-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2012.652468
Tonkery, Dan. “Publishers, Agents, Users, and Libraries: Coming of Age in the E-World,” The
Serials Librarian, 57:no.3 (2009): 253-260. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03615260902877035
Miller, Heather S. “Surprising Subscriptions: How Electronic Journal Publishing Has Affected the
Partnership Among Subscription Agents, Publishers, and Librarians” in Charleston Conference
Proceedings 2006, ed. Beth R. Berhhardt, Tim Daniels, and Kim Steinle (Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited, 2007), 111-123.
McClamroch, Jo (recorder), Tina Feick and Gary Ives (presenters). “The Big E-Package Deals:
Smoothing the Way through Subscription Agents,” The Serials Librarian, 50:no.3/4 (2006): 267-
270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v50n03_10
Feick, Tina and Shawn Herman. “Electronic Journal Subscriptions: The Agent’s Perspective,”
Against the Grain, 17:no.6 (December 2005/January 2006): 42-45.
Kuehl, Jodi and Rebecca Day. “Ordering E-Journals,” The Serials Librarian, 49:no.3 (2005):
165-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v49n03_15
Wang, Jue and Alan T. Schroeder Jr. “The Subscription Agent as E-journal Intermediary,”
Serials Review, 31:no.1 (2005): 20-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.serrev.2004.11.007 or
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00987913.2005.10764947
Lesher, Marcella (recorder), Vanessa West and Sue Wiegand (presenters). “Creatively Coping
with Your Subscription Agent’s Bankruptcy,” The Serials Librarian, 48:no.3/4 (2005): 301-304.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v48n03_12
Spinelli, Dick. “What is the Role of a Subscription Agent?” CRIV Sheet (insert in AALL
Spectrum), 28:no.1 (November 2005): 6-7.
Loghry, Patricia A. “To Use or Not to Use: The Benefits and Challenges of Using a Subscription
Agent for Electronic Journals,” in E-Serials Collection Management, ed. David Fowler (New
NASIG 2015 “Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense” Davis, England, Feick and Steinle

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York: Haworth Information Press, 2004), 21-36.
Wallas, Philip. “Helping Manage the E-Journal Forest: Do You Need an Agent Any More? Part
1,” The Serials Librarian, 46:no.1/2 (2004): 173-177. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v46n01_18
Bosch, Stephen. “Helping Manage the E-Journal Forest: Do You Need an Agent Any More?
Part 2,” The Serials Librarian, 46:no.1/2 (2004): 179-190.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v46n01_19
Merriman, John (1997); revised by Richard Steeden (2004). “The Work of the Subscription
Agent,” UKSG http://www.uksg.org/sites/uksg.org/files/BlurbSubAgent.pdf (accessed May 21,
2015)
Neie, Phillipp and Heather Steele. “Infomediaries in the Internet Era,” The Serials Librarian,
42:no.1/2 (2002): 59-77. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v42n01_08
Barstow, Sandra and Barbara Woodford. “Developing a Relationship with Your New
Subscription Agent/Understanding Your New Client: 1001 Thai Burritos on the Road to Great
Two-Way Communication,” Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory, 22:no.1 (1998): 63-69.
McKay, Sharon Cline. “Partnering in a Changing Medium: The Challenges of Managing and
Delivering E-Journals: The Subscription Agent’s Point of View,” Library Acquisitions: Practice
and Theory, 22:no.1 (1998): 23-27.
Prior, Albert. “Intermediaries and Electronic Information—What Role for the Subscription
Agent?” INSPEL, 32:2 (1998): 79-82.
Prior, Albert. “Managing Electronic Serials: The Development of a Subscription Agent’s
Service,” The Serials Librarian, 32:no.3/4 (1997): 57-65.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v32n03_05
Merriman, John. “The Work of Subscription Agents,” The Serials Librarian, 24:no.1 (1993): 1-24.
(Reprinted from Serials 5:issue 2 (1992): 19-32.
http://serials.uksg.org/articles/abstract/10.1629/050219/ accessed May 21, 2015)
Cox, John. “Subscription Agents: Why Librarians love them and Publishers take them for
granted,” LOGOS: The Journal of the World Book Community, 2, no. 3 (January 2, 1991): 154-
158.
Basch, N. Bernard and Judy McQueen. “Libraries and Subscription Agents: Evaluating Fees for
Services.” The Bottom Line, 4:no.2 (Summer 1990): 14-19.
Merriman, John. “Subscription Agents—Are They Worth Their Salt?” Library Acquisitions:
Practice and Theory, 13:no.2 (1989): 149-152.
Ivins, October. “Do Subscription Agents Earn Their Service Charges and How Can We Tell?”
Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory, 13:no.2 (1989): 143-147.
Tuttle, Marcia. “Can Subscription Agents Survive?” Canadian Library Journal, 42 (October
1985): 259-264.
NASIG 2015 “Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense” Davis, England, Feick and Steinle

3. Swets Bankruptcy
Background Information
May 22, 2015
• Gilde Buy Out Partners - www.gilde.com - purchased Swets in 2007
• Swets Annual Report 2013 - Released Aug. 2014 (accessed from Swets website Aug. 2014)
(alert sent through Google Alerts)
o "2013 was a turbulent year for Swets." - Up for sale through auction
"2013 was a turbulent year for Swets. It has become clear that the intended
transformation of Swets requires more capital and scale than is currently available. The
ultimate shareholders of Swets Group in close with the lenders have decided to put all
shares of Royal Swets & Zeitlinger Holding N.V. up for sale and have initiated a
competitive auction process with a planned sale in Q3 2014."
o Reasons given for financial problems
• Shift from print to digital - lower discount rates
• Not charging enough to cover operational costs.
• Publishers establishing direct relationships
• Failed to meet requirements to repay financing
• Sequence of events for Swets Netherlands - headquarters (computer system, all
orders/payments)
o Obtained buyer - Sept. 2014
o Buyer backed out - Sept. 15?, 2014
o Swets applied for suspension of payments - granted Sept. 19, 2014
o Swets declared bankrupt - Sept. 23, 2014
o Court appointed C/M/S as Trustee for Swets in the Netherlands
 www.cms-dsb.com/swets
 Complete list of documents
o Swets declared insolvent - Sept. 29 2014
o Notices to Customers, Debtors, Publishers - Oct. - Nov. 2014
o 1st Public Report - Nov. 28, 2014
• Other offices declared bankrupt - Oct. - Dec. 2014
• 1st Public Report (accessed May 22, 2015 - www.cms-dsb.com/swets )
o Declining margins and declining client spending plus publishers less willing to pay for
services
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4. “According to statements of the management board of the Swets group, there have
been declining margins on the activities of the Swets Group for a longer period of time.
Further, in this respect the fact that especially publishers - partially due to the advance
of the internet as a new (sales) medium - were increasingly less willing to pay for the
services of the Swets Group and due to, in a more general sense, declining client
spending, proved relevant."
o Management unable to turnaround into more profitable business -
Subscriptions - low margin business
“From what the Bankruptcy Trustee understood from management of the Swets Group,
the Swets Group was not able to realize the turnaround into more profitable business
operations on time, despite cost reduction programmes set up in the last few years and
changing the business model by investing in alternative activities (such as those of
Accucoms).”
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NASIG 2015 “Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense” Davis, England, Feick and Steinle
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Recommendations to work with an agent
• Assign staff to be responsible for vendor relations
• Track performance - good and bad - be realistic
• Renew, claim and pay on time
• Service charge terms - get it in writing
o At least an email
o Service agreement or contract (auditors like)
• Inform agent of any changes
o Serials review project with probable cancellations
o Delay in renewal process
o Update profile for changes in IP ranges, e-resource contact, etc.
o Notify of staff changes
• Know your requirements and ensure agent is aware
o RFP required
o E- only policy
o IP only
o Automation system - EDI
• Build and maintain a relationship with your agent
o Talk to your agent - at least once a year
o Discuss pending changes and possible ramifications
 Cancellations - will that affect service charge?
 New business - will that improve service charge?
o For project work, ask your agent for help - management reports
We need to know and understand all parties in the information chain!
NASIG 2015 “Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense” Davis, England, Feick and Steinle

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How to be Savvy --- Points of Consideration
How to be Savvy - Points of Consideration
• Set alerts for vendors (and your own library) - Google Alerts
• Get financial audited reports - annual
o Compare year on year
o Ask for assistance
• Understand the business - how agents operate
o Talk with your subscription agent
o Attend NASIG conferences
o Network
o Invest time
• Understand the internal costs of handling subscriptions - going direct
o Is it really cheaper to do it yourself?
o Do you have the staff to handle?
o Is the library moving to other priorities - service programs?
• Educate the purchasing/accounting/finance managers within the library/institution
• Know your service charge
o Percentage or flat fee per title
o Added fees - line charges - for no and low discount publishers
o E-access and other fees
o Add or cancel orders - expect change in service charge
o Low offer - may be too good to be true
o Get it in writing - agreement
• Prepayments - discuss with management
o Bank guarantees to safeguard monies - costs extra
o Request financial reports with prepayment
o Easy way to pay and ensures no delay in payment to agent
• Attend seminars - NASIG, regional and other conferences
• Network like crazy
NASIG 2015 “Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense” Davis, England, Feick and Steinle