East View Publications (EVP) offers comprehensive blanket-order/approval plan services for libraries, research institutions and individuals interested in books acquisitions from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus' and the other Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. East View offers its acquisitions services in the following subject areas: Social Sciences, Humanities, Statistics, Government/Law, Reference, Economics/Business, Military/Security Issues, Technical/Natural Sciences, Medicine and Maps/Geography.

Selection.

EVP provides customers with all current book and related literature published or originating in Russia and other NIS countries based upon in-depth customer profiles. These profiles allow East View to make the best possible selections for the customer by detailing not only in which subject areas, regions and languages the customer is interested, but also such variables as the nature of the library's existing collection, the desired direction of development, financial resources available, format preferences and exchange partners. Selection of the appropriate books for each customer then becomes a combined effort of our Russian/NIS acquisitions staff and our Minneapolis staff, working together in a system of checks and balances to provide products and the best possible service for the customer.

The foundation of our supply network is our unparalleled familiarity with Russian (and now Ukrainian) national bibliography and our close association with the Book Chambers (Knizhnaia Palata) in both countries. However, since no one bibliographic source is sufficient to cover the vast variety of publications now emerging in Russia and the other Newly Independent States, East View selectors utilize a wide variety of bibliographic sources beyond the pages of Knizhnaia letopis', including other NIS national bibliographic publications, templany, Knizhnoe Obozrenie, Knigotorgovyi biulleten' and Russian and Ukrainian deposit copy receipts for new books deposited in the state archives each day [listy gos. registratsii obiazatel'nogo ekzempliara]. East View's selectors also go beyond printed bibliographic listings which reflect only a fraction of the interesting and valuable works appearing in Russia/NIS today. East View specialists comb the streets looking for elusive publications. They go directly to the publishing houses, institutes and authors. They confer with the bibkollektors. They browse the bookstores, the street stands, the book auctions and the book fairs. They utilize East View's unique contacts with Knizhnaia Palata and Knizhnoe Obozrenie and other professionals on the Russian book scene. Then all of their discoveries are pooled together with the aggregate of information from East View's unique bibliographic sources to create the general reservoir from which each customer's books are selected.

Books.

EVP offers works that go far beyond those traditionally available and deep into the realms of grey literature. These works include:

• Low-press run and rare books published by various military and civilian academies, institutes of the Academies of Sciences, private research groups, business organizations and governmental bodies.
• Works of newly-founded independent research and advisory bodies
• Materials from the periphery, including all the former Soviet republics and distant cities within Russia
• Dissertations and their abstracts ("avtoreferats")
• Formerly classified works released through EVP's efforts
• Rare and out-of-print materials from Arkhiv Pechati on microform
• Formerly unpublished manuscripts made available by East View on microform

Sample Periodicals.

EVP also provides sample issues of all the emerging periodicals and press related to the specific subject areas covered under the customer's blanket-order. Customers are then eligible to subscribe to these periodicals at a special first-year discount.

Discounts.

All blanket-order customers receive a 20-30% discount on books provided under their blanket-order or approval plans. Of course, East View is also happy to accept firm orders for specific titles; however, these orders will not be eligible for the customer's blanket-order/approval-plan discount.

Prices.

Average prices for books provided under blanket-order plans range from $12-20, although publications in certain subject areas, such as statistics and technical sciences, tend to average somewhat higher. Recently declassified and reference works also tend to be somewhat more expensive. The average cost per microfiche ranges from $10-29. Prices for works provided in xerographic format depend directly on the page length of the book; customers should figure 30 cents per page plus the price of the book in original format. EVP does not discourage xerographic orders, but does prefer to supply items in their original or microfiche formats.

Delivery.

Delivery for most blanket-order/approval-plan materials is direct from Moscow via a privatized mail-handling agency. Shipping charges are based on a sliding scale at an average of $.74 per book for shipment of over 25 books, and $.64 per book for shipments of over 100. A surcharge applies for air or express shipments. Surface delivery in practice means that customers may expect books 2-8 weeks from the date of publication. Whether surface or air, EVP uses only qualified and reliable shippers and freight forwarders. Firm orders may be shipped either from East View's Minneapolis office or directly from East View's offices in Moscow and Kiev.

Returns.

Upon receipt of books, customers will have the option of returning them for full credit within 60 days should the books be judged inappropriate and/or duplicates. Returns are made at the customer's expense. All returns should be sent to East View's US office in Minneapolis. Materials must be returned in undamaged and/or original condition in order for the account to be credited. If return rates exceed 5% annually, plans and their profiles are re-evaluated and refined or alternative ordering methods put into place to resolve the problem.

Customer Service.

Day-to-day customer service is provided by staff in all of our Minneapolis, Moscow and Kiev offices to ensure maximum responsiveness and flexibility; however, our Minneapolis staff is always available for broader customer service needs and to ensure our customer's satisfaction. We are striving not only to provide the best quality books, but the highest quality service. We encourage customer feedback and suggestions for improving our performance both in the realm of blanket-order services and elsewhere. To facilitate this feedback, East View's staff members are always eager to make personal visits to libraries and meet with librarians on their homeground. Such visits allow East View's staff an invaluable opportunity to acquaint themselves with the unique characteristics of each library's collection as well as with the day-to-day challenges faced by individual Slavic librarians.

Catalogs.

East View offers a regularly updated catalog online . East View also offers new book notification services by subject area. In this manner, customers can keep up with new titles that do not fall under the scope of their plan for firm ordering if desired. EVP also makes available the fundamental bibliographic tools -- including all the national bibliographies -- that Slavic selectors need to keep abreast of the newest publications in their fields.

USMARC Records.

EVP can supply minimal USMARC records (no subject cataloguing) free of charge to our blanket-order and approval plan customers upon request. Records can be supplied in electronic format either via FTP sites or via e-mail. The records can also be supplied as print outs. These services are also available to our other customers at a nominal fee of 30 cents per record. Please inquire for more details.

Special searches.

EVP regularly conducts special searches and supplies out-of-print books and periodicals in either original, xerographic or microfiche format, depending upon the situation and the needs of the individual customer. Again, these services are provided free of charge for our blanket-order customers and at a nominal fee for our other customers. Please inquire.

Copyright.

For works offered in reproduced form, East View obtains all necessary copyrights, so you can be assured that business with EVP respects international copyright law. Since acquisition of copyrights may take several weeks or months, delivery of certain works may be delayed accordingly.

EVP Competence.

The blanket purchase order system only helps acquisition librarians and bibliographers if they are confident that those making the book selections are qualified to do so. In this regard, East View Publications offers dramatic advantages over the competition. Our staffs in Minneapolis, Moscow, Kiev and around the NIS consist of professionals and scholars from journalistic, bibliographic and academic research backgrounds. East View's expanding network in the supply of periodicals also contributes to the foundation of our book supply network. At present we employ part-time representatives in 19 cities of the former USSR, in addition to our large full-time staff in Moscow and our smaller one in Kiev. We regularly bring members of our Russian/NIS staff to the US to have the opportunity to meet clients and gain new perspective. Likewise, the members of East View's Minneapolis office regularly visit our offices overseas in order to keep in touch with the most recent changes in Russia/NIS. If you are interested in stopping by our offices in Minneapolis, Moscow or Kiev and become acquainted with members of East View's acquisitions and selection staffs, please let us know and we would be happy to arrange a complete tour of our facilities.

EVP Commitment -- to the field, the future and to you.

Since 1989, East View has been supplying the world with valuable research materials. East View entered the field of book distribution from the countries of the former Soviet Union at a time of chaos -- old infrastructures were collapsing, and existing acquisitions and distribution systems floundering. We set about building our own infrastructure and developing our own acquisitions and distribution systems. In the process, we have taken many revolutionary steps and made many controversial decisions. We were not content with the status quo of the last seventy-plus years. We were searching for something better, something that corresponded with the new economic realities of the 1990s. In 1995, the chaos in the countries of the former Soviet Union has quieted somewhat and the publishing industries have gradually begun to regroup and stabilize.

However, this does not mean that East View will slow down or cease to seek revolutionary ways of bringing you the information resources you need. East View is committed to constantly exploring new ways of improving our services to our customers and facing new challenges. For 1995, these challenges will include continuing to expand our acquisitions web and reaching out to the diverse regions of the former Soviet Union; finding new ways of cutting acquisition and distribution costs so that we can relay these reduced prices on to our customers; improving our customer service by cutting response time and initiating even more pro-active customer relations policies; and diving more deeply into Cyberspace and exploring the new technologies that will shape the book world in the 21st century.

East View is committed to being your choice for information resources from the former Soviet Union today, tomorrow and beyond. East View's staff, in Minneapolis, Moscow, Kiev, Minsk and throughout the former Soviet Union, have chosen to build this company because they believe in it and share a common commitment to the goals of encouraging the free flow of information from these areas of the world to the rest of the world and of constantly increasing the knowledge and interest of the rest of the world in these formerly restricted areas of the world. All of our efforts derive from this common source. East View cannot promise you a quiet, unchanging relationship. The realm we work in is a volatile and dynamic one. We can, however, promise you constantly improving customer service. We can promise to listen to your problems and work toward creating optimal solutions. We can promise you innovation, and most of all we can promise you vision.

Controlled Approval Plan Orders

A slight variation on traditional blanket-orders and approval plans, the controlled approval plan allows customers to review regular suggestion lists based upon their profiles and needs. The customer then notifies East View which of the recommended items on the list that he/she wishes to receive. Because of the more labor-intensive nature of controllled blanket orders, sample issues of new periodicals are not available on an automatic-receipt basis and the maximum discount offered is 20%. An initial deposit of at least $500 is also required for the establishment of a controlled blanket order.

Please contact our office, or email us at books@eastview.com for additional information about our blanket order services.

CEP Last Updated: 1/30/98