Page 227 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes Fixing the suppliers or agents
Signing the contracts
For administrative reasons, it becomes essential to call for competitive quotations from different
agents/suppliers for the supply of selected periodicals. It is not necessary to call for quotations
individually for periodicals since it will not be possible for the agent to under quote the
publishers’ rates. The agencies would be required to finish their terms of contract in respect of;
(a) conversion rates for foreign currencies; (b) advance payment of subscriptions; (c) percentage
of trade discounts, if any, offered over subscription rates; (d) handling charges, if any, for
periodicals coming under no-discount strategy; (e) supply of missing issues; (f) the executing of
an agreement, etc. Apart from service, the financial status of the agent should to be considered
while appointing him as a supplier for a fixed period of time, say one or two years.
In case of advance payments) for subscription to foreign periodicals, it may be a wise policy for
small libraries to subscribe through Indian subscriptions agents. Some of the advantages and
disadvantages in placing orders through an Indian subscription agent are highlighted below:

Advantages
1. Agents frequently allow a certain percentage of discounts over the subscription rates of
some periodicals where publishers do not offer any discount to subscribers.

2. Agents get agency commission from most of the publishers which results in the saving of
foreign exchange to the extent of 10% to 15%.
3. Payments are made in Indian currency. There is, therefore, no need to apply to banks for
obtaining bank drafts for payment of subscriptions in foreign currencies.
4. Correspondence is restricted to one party, i.e., the agent concerned.
5. Expenditure on postage and correspondence work will be i: ‘iced, if subscribed through an
agent.
6. The agent will act on the subscriber’s complaint about “non-receipts” and arrange for
replacement or refund of a proportionate amount for missing issues.
Disadvantages
1. When subscribed through an agent, it will not be possible to correspond with the publishers
regarding the missing issues of periodicals in the absence of details of payment of
subscription rates.
2. It is necessary to check the subscription rates claimed by the agent for each and every title
with the publishers’ rates which consumes the time and energy of the staff.
3. The agents will not be able to know about the “non-receipt” till they are intimated by the
subscribers, since the publishers supply the periodicals directly to the subscribers. Hence,
some, agents decline to undertake the responsibility of arranging replacements for the
missing issues.
4. There are cases of some agents who have not remitted the subscriptions in time to the
publishers leading to 61, in the supply of periodicals and resulting in incomplete volumes
due to interrupted supply of some issues.
5. Agents claim handling charges in case of periodicals published by learned societies and
professional institutions, which do not offer agency commission.
6. Institutions will remain in the dark about the non-receipt of subscription amounts by the
publishers till they are intimated by the latter.

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