BEFORE YOU CLAIM...

When reviewing the Harrassowitz (aka FOKUS) and EBSCO claims lists, consider checking the following sources before deciding to make the first claim (these sources will help you determine whether or not it is an appropriate time to claim): 

-The publication's website. Often, a link to these sites will appear in the check-in record. The URLs to these sites will often change and will need to be updated, or deleted when they are broken or no longer prove useful. Many of these sites contain a link to the current issue or archives, which are sometimes outdated but other times have accurate info as to which issue is the latest or an estimated publication date for the next issue.

-The EBSCO volume/issue information. This can be useful for any title, including publications we do not subscribe to through EBSCO. If EBSCO has the journal in their database, you can look it up in the EBSCO catalog via ISSN or title. For many journals, EBSCO maintains a list of the issues published and publication dates for each. EBSCO will also mention when publications are behind schedule.

-Dispatch data. In other words, when an issue was sent out to subscribers. Both FOKUS and EBSCO have this for many journals.

-Online holdings.You can search for online records of journal titles in Sierra to view any online holdings for that journal in OneSearch. That way, you can check EBSCO's database and/or other databases like ProQuest and publisher-provided access sites to see if the issue that came up for claims has been published. Also, some print journal records will have a link to the online archives in the 856 field of the bib record for public display, which should also be in the check-in record.

-Check-in record notes.In the check-in record, you can view any notes that contain instructions or restrictions specific to claiming that title. For example: 

If the issue in question has been claimed before (if the box says CLAIM 1 or LATE 1, the number being how many times it has been claimed), you can also find claim notes with the details regarding the previous claim(s), such as previous correspondence or timeframes in which we might expect to receive a replacement. You might also find contact info for the publisher's office if it becomes necessary to contact a publisher directly. There may be other types of helpful info, such as publication delays.

-Claiming restrictions. Both FOKUS and EBSCO have this for some, but not all journals. This information will usually have previously been copied into the check-in notes by a Serials staff member. Sometimes, EBSCO will have info on claiming restrictions that FOKUS does not, yet we subscribe to the journal through Harrassowitz. Therefore, it is always good to check both systems for any claiming instructions/restrictions and copy that info into the check-in record. Most claiming instructions appear next to the parameters, like so:

You can see by this example that issues of this title need to be claimed within a specified time period AND that FOKUS needs specific info about the issue in order to process the claim. You will often come across this type of information when claiming.

-SUPPLEMENTS. Most supplements are treated on a we-get-what-we-get basis and are not regularly claimed, but occasionally there will be a recurring, established supplement that we expect to receive at a certain time of the year, or at a certain point in the journal volume. These may have expected boxes and come up for claims.We have a general rule about claiming supplements: If a supplement is listed in either EBSCONET or FOKUS as being part of our subscription, claim it from the appropriate vendor. If you cannot find it listed as part of our subscription in either FOKUS or EBSCONET, do not claim it with the vendor. Instead, contact the publisher, describe the item, and ask if it is part of our subscription. If there is no reliable contact info from the publisher, you can ask the vendor to try contacting the publisher regarding the supplement.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING EBSCONET OR FOKUS

1. Sign in to which ever vendor you are working on (Ebsconet or Fokus).
2. For Fokus: 
   1. Copy and paste the order record number (without the “o”) from Sierra into the search bar under Search and Orders.
   2. Review any claim notes in the check-in record. There may be information about previous claims for the issue in question or other helpful info to take into consideration.
   3. Several variations of the title will probably show up in your search. Find the record for the subscription period you’re claiming under. Usually it will say “active” under Activity Status but may say “cancelled” if it’s a pending drop or hasn’t been renewed. After clicking the arrow to the right, you can verify that the issue you’re trying to claim for falls within the Current Subscription Period under “Full Order Details.”
      • The HARR reps will let you know if you chose the wrong record and will notify you of the correct HARR Order ID (SNA) that you need to be claiming under. Please record any SNA information provided by HARR in the check-in record notes for future reference.
   4. For packages, you may need to claim via the package itself or chose the separate title within the package. The HARR reps will let you know if you need to claim under a specific record for these. ***The order and/or check-in records in Sierra should contain notes as to which package/membership to claim under.***
   5. From the Title Details page, click the Claim Print button in the upper right.
   6. Make note of any claim restrictions that appear under “Claim print issue.” If it hasn't been done already, copy and paste these next to the parameters notes in the check-in record for future reference (see screenshot above).
      • Remember that if there are no claiming restrictions in FOKUS, it is a good idea to search the title in EBSCONET via catalog search, because they will sometimes list restrictions in their title details that FOKUS does not.
   7. Under Claim print issue:
      1. Enter info in the following where applicable: year or date (either full date or year only), volume number, issue number, and part.
         • NOTE: If you need to enter the month or season, use the Part field and enter the month or season as a 3-letter abbreviation, i.e. December = Dec or Spring = Spr. This field can take up to 6 characters, so if the issue has a double cover date, you can put something like “DecJan” or “SprSum.”
      2. From the drop down menu, select the Claim reason. We most commonly use:
         1. Item(s) not received = most claiming situations.
         2. Skipped issues = if you’ve received the most recent issue but are missing a previous issue.
         3. Item still not received / repeated claim = if you’re having to claim for the issue multiple times.
         4. Item(s) damaged in transit = severe physical damage to the piece (water damage, large tears, torn spine, etc.).
         5. Imperfect item(s) supplied = for “defective” issues (misprinted or repeated pages, large ink spots, etc.).
      3. You can check “urgent” if you’re having to claim for the item three or more times.
   8. Only use the "Information for HARRASSOWITZ" section if the claim requires specific info beyond the above fields (this causes extra work and time for Harrassowitz to process the claim and will slow down progress).
   9. Review your work and click the Submit Claim button.
   10. Note on SNA numbers in FOKUS:
       1. If it starts with a 9, it’s a subscription.
       2. If it starts with a 6, it’s a standing order.
       3. If you notice that this conflicts with the ACQ TYPE in the upper left field of the order record, please let the Serials Acquisitions Manager know. Occasionally Harrassowitz changes how they treat a title and our order records will need to be manually updated to reflect that.
3. For Ebsco: 
   1. Select “Orders” from the top left.
   2. You can usually search using the order record number (without the "o") as the ILS number. If that doesn't work, you can search using other information, such as the title name or ISSN number.
   3. If you’re using Advanced Search, select current subscriptions, all years, or a specific year, to help you locate the order for the issue you are claiming.
   4. Review any claim notes in the check-in record. There may be information about previous claims for the issue in question or other helpful info to take into consideration.
   5. In the Order Details, look for notes at the bottom of the page stating that the title needs to be claimed under a membership or package record. If so, navigate to the specified record before making your claim. ***The order records in Sierra should contain info as to which package/membership to claim under.***
   6. Also, make note of any claiming restrictions in the Order Details. If it hasn't been done already, copy and paste these next to the parameters notes in the check-in record for future reference (see screenshot above).
   7. Verify that the issue you’re trying to claim for falls within the Start/Expiration Date range of the order details. If it doesn’t, you may need to select one of the Other Orders on the right, or it may be too early to claim for the issue.
   8. Click the Submit Service Request button to the right. Then, select “Claim for Print” and fill out the following:
      1. Reason for Claim. Most commonly, you will select either “Listed Issues Not Received” or “Damaged Issue/Replace,” but you can also use “Please Advise Current Publication Schedule” to request confirmation that the issue has been published, or general pub schedule info.
      2. Claim Number (how many times you’ve previously claimed for the item + this claim).
      3. Volume/Issue Information. Note that if you are claiming under a membership or package, you may need to specify the title of the journal you are claiming in this field. For example, we subscribe to a journal entitled Flashback, but the subscription includes a related publication entitled Flashforward. Both titles are claimed under the Flashback order in EBSCO, so if claiming for an issue of Flashforward, you will need to clarify that.
      4. Comments to Publisher (any other info you would like to provide to the publisher).
      5. Click Submit.
   9. Checking on the status of your claims can be done using one of the following methods:
      1. After logging in, check the "alerts" button in the upper right-hand menu. If there is a red star there, you may have claiming updates, although these may be other types of alerts, like frequency changes. Click on it to pull up the list of alerts.
      2. Click "orders" in the upper left tab menu and then "my claims" from the lower menu in blue that appears. You can then search using ISSN, title, or ILS number, and specify a time frame in which the claim occurred (30 days, 60 days, etc.).
      3. Recent claims will appear in the Claim History next to the Order Details, or the Service Requests tab that appears after searching for the title. Note that some claims will have a Reclaim option that you can use to re-submit a claim without having to fill out the form again. You can find this option by clicking on the claim date in the Claim History, or by clicking on the status under Service Requests and then “View Claim Details.”
      4. The Service Requests can also be accessed by selecting Customer Service Portal (next to Alerts), then Portal Home at the top of EBSCONET after logging in.
   10. The “Claim Status” will appear at the bottom of the Claim Details. If it says “Issue Does Not Exist,” this generally means that the issue will not be published.

For further instructions on how to claim in Sierra, see the Sierra Function Modules page.