Government Documents
There's a re-org taking place (that I'll discuss in detail in another entry), and my job tasks are changing. One of the most important changes is that at some point soon, I'll no longer be responsible for in-take functions of international government documents here at SUL.
Gov Docs is a trip. Ask anyone on GOVDOC-L. Whatever tech services model you have for whatever function you do, for either serials or monographs ... Gov Docs will go off the flowchart. Working with Gov Docs calls for quite a bit of problem-solving.
Sometimes, the vendors (i.e., the government agencies) help. Sometimes, not so much.
As part of the re-org, I also changed cubicles, and while moving, I found an old claim response. It's for a newsletter issued by the European Space Agency called "Preparing for the Future: ESA's Technology Programme Quarterly." We hadn't received v. 11 no. 2 (supposedly published around September 2001); I initiated a claim for it in February 2002.
The verbatim response:
"L.S. [I think this means Library Specialist -- my title]
To day was your claim for Preparing for the Future on my desk.
You are correct that you are missing 11-2 and others.
The problem is that the context of these issues has a political impact.
And no one will take responsibility so we have decided no to print
The missing issues
In week 8 we have put in the mail volume 12-1 and we hope that we can continue"
How cool is that? 'We can't send you the issue because it's a political hot potato and no one can handle the truth ... in the meantime, enjoy what may be our last issue ...'
Dude, I will NEVER get that kind of a response from jobbers like Swets or Absolute. I'm gonna miss Gov Docs.