Tip- Email address to give to vendors/pubs
susangue February 26th, 2007
I noticed in many of the sessions I attended that folks discussed the problem of vendors having the wrong contact person in their files (or hanging on to a selector’s email as a contact point). At Emory, we solved this by creating a list-serv type email address that anyone can be added to or taken off of. Right now we have 3 people reading and any one of the three of us can deal with issues sent in an email (down time of e-resources, renewals, invoices, etc).
This also helps if staff changes frequently. Vendors retain one single generic email address (eresources-L@myuniversity.edu) instead of MarySmith@myuniversity.edu. This way, when Mary Smith retires, gets “downsized” or wins the lottery, the vendor or publisher’s email doesn’t go to a sole email address to be lost in email limbo. The publisher has no idea who is reading our list-serv style email so they don’t notice a change if personnel changes or if a different person replies. The “from” address remains the listserv address.
It also works great when one of us is on vacation. A renewal doesn’t sit until the “right” person comes back. We’ve had a great response from vendors/publishers when sending the request to change to this address. We let them know it’s in their best interest to do so (”you will get paid faster if this is read sooner.”) 
We are also able to enter this into the email contact line when registering as administrators on web sites or registering to add access for single titles on smaller vendor sites.
I hope this is helpful to others.
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That is the exact same thing that our organization learned. What we have found is that some vendors really do want a person’s name; but when we explain why we are doing it, they are all for it.