Informing Licensing Stakeholders: Toward a More Effective Negotiation

Abstract

As publishers and vendors offer more electronic resources, the number of licenses that have to be negotiated and executed increase proportionally. Libraries and publishers often have conflicting goals, making the successful outcome of a license negotiation difficult to obtain. A small group of licensing professionals gathered for a frank, open discussion of the terms and conditions that are important to each side, thereby opening the channels of communication on a larger scale. The discussion panel consisted of three academic librarians and two publisher representatives; the moderator is an academic librarian and a member of the Shared Electronic Resource Understanding (SERU) Working Group, as is one of the panelists. The goal of the session was for each side to come away with a greater understanding of the other's positions on key license points, as well as some strategies for arriving at compromises. The mission of SERU was discussed and promoted, creating more awareness on both sides of the table of the existence and usefulness of SERU as an alternative to the cumbersome license negotiation process.