2015 Charleston Library Conference

The Subscription agent for over 50 years has been the backbone of the library serials department. Managing and processing individual subscription orders for often thousands of orders has been achieved using the latest technology. With the transition from print to e-journals, and the rise of the big and custom deals as well as consortia, the agents have lost much of their value to both libraries and publishers. As we move forward how will the agent survive? We have seen the collapse of Swets, the number two agent. What do libraries need now from agents, can agents reinvent themselves, and how are agents going to replace the publisher commissions. The panel of librarians, agents and publisher will address this pressing issue.