Biz of Acq--To license or not to license: that really ought to be the question

Of the many changes that the electronic information revolution has brought to library acquisitions, perhaps none is as significant as the licensing agreement. For centuries, copyright law set forth the legal parameters under which libraries appropriated and disseminated information products and services. Librarians grew accustomed to operating under the stipulations of copyright statutes. As electronic resources have become integral to the library collection, however, libraries have suddenly found themselves parties to legally binding contracts with publishers or vendors, contracts which often grant libraries much more limited rights than under copyright law. In recent years, librarians have taken a proactive position towards the new regime of licensing by educating themselves about contract law, and sharing information about the most effective methods for negotiating favorable contract terms with electronic information providers. In this month's column, Rick Anderson, Head of Acquisitions at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Libraries, enriches this conversation by offering publishers and vendors a model for deciding when to implement a license for an electronic resource, and valuable advice for improving licensing relationships with libraries.