Tracking Vendor Response to Library Concerns: The Case of an SFX Installation at Idaho State University

This article details Idaho State University (ISU) Library’s experience implementing and using an SFX service package in the mode that Ex Libris defines as the total care level of customer support. Although we entered into the SFX package subscription with high expectations due to the ISU Library’s earlier positive experience with another Ex Libris product, our experience using the SFX package on a day-to-day basis was consistently unsatisfactory. After objective evaluation and extensive documentation of lapses in Ex Libris personnel responsiveness to the Library’s concerns as well as lapses in basic functionality, we felt compelled to forego renewing with Ex Libris at the end of the three-year subscription period. The decision not to renew was also influenced in part by conflicts between a third party content provider and Ex Libris.