Booth Library is still receiving journal and magazine subscriptions, but only because publishers have honored subscriptions the library has already paid.

The company providing the library magazines and journals filed for bankruptcy Jan. 27.

RoweCom, which accepts money from libraries to purchase subscriptions through publishers, is trying to reclaim $74 million from Internet investing company Divine Inc.

RoweCom is a library subscription subsidiary of Divine Inc. and says the parent company illegally obtained funds, leaving the subsidiary unable to pay publishers and libraries they supply in danger of not offering patrons reading material.

Divine, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 25, denies the charge.

Allan Lanham, Eastern’s dean of library services, said the problems really began in December, affecting subscriptions the university has honored for more than 20 years.

“(RoweCom’s) parent company has been siphoning funds from subscriptions,” he said. “The danger is there, but in reality those journals continue to arrive because publishers have graced the the situation by honoring the fact that the library has already paid.”

The publishers have continued subscriptions for January, February, March and some publishers have already graced subscriptions for next month, Lanham said.

He said Booth Library has not received notification of any journals missing so far and does not have a list of subscriptions, if any, gone missing.

“As long as they continue to arrive, we will let corporate companies duke it out,” he said. “Publishers have bent over backwards in trying to accommodate the library’s needs.”

He said weekly journals, commonly received by public libraries, would be the first to stop coming.

RoweCom was set to be replaced July 1 anyway, Lanham said. No company has been named to take over, said Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs.

However, he said only a “handful” of providers are available.

Eastern is involved in a larger lawsuit with other Illinois libraries, including Western Illinois University, Illinois State University and Governors State University libraries, Lord said.

Divine, who claimed $400 million in capital in 1999, started to show signs of financial trouble in 2000.

“This is probably the major incidence in library history,” Lanham said.