UKSG Licensing and Negotiation Skills for Librarians

Course summary

Electronic publishing has brought huge changes to learned information provision and to the role of librarians and other information professionals.  For electronic products, publishers and intermediaries present purchase models of far greater complexity than the traditional print subscription model.  Moreover, with electronic delivery the emphasis has shifted from ownership to access, giving rise to the licence as a feature of most sales agreements.

These changes present challenges but also considerable opportunities: many purchasing models are flexible and allow for negotiation; similarly, some important licence terms and conditions may be negotiable.  Information professionals consequently need to adapt to new pricing and purchase models and become familiar with the terms and conditions of licences, their language and their effect.  It follows that librarians with appropriate licensing and negotiation skills will have considerable advantage in this new business era.

Why you should attend

The course has been written for serials and acquisitions librarians involved in e-resource purchasing in academic institutions; librarians in these institutions who are being trained to undertake purchasing roles will also benefit from attending.  Participants will gain a good understanding of the key issues surrounding publisher licensing and negotiations, together with practical skills and knowledge which they will be able to use in their professional lives.

Learning objectives

At the end of the course participants will:
• Understand the key issues surrounding publisher licensing and negotiations, and how these impact libraries
• Be familiar with important clauses in publisher licences
• Be familiar with the principles of successful negotiation in the context of licensing online information resources
• Understand the fundamental dos and don’ts of e-resource negotiation.