UKSG Licensing and Negotiation Skills for Librarians: London

To meet the needs of librarians involved in the acquisition of electronic resources, UKSG is pleased to offer a highly practical one-day Licensing and Negotiation Skills course.

Course summary

Electronic publishing continues to bring major changes to the ways in which information is provided, hugely impacting the role and responsibilities of information professionals.

One critical difference is the shift of emphasis from ownership to access of electronic products, particularly journals. Access is subject to terms and conditions which gave rise to the licence as a feature of most acquisition agreements.  Publisher licences present libraries – and their patrons – with useful rights but also with significant restrictions and responsibilities, which means that a thorough understanding of licensing language, and its effect, has become critical for librarians. 

At the same time, the concept of the ‘list price’ for digital journals has become essentially meaningless as institutions and consortia select the content they need and publishers and their representatives tailor deals to meet these requirements.  When making these deals, publishers typically seek to maximise their income whilst libraries typically strive to control their costs, a dynamic which means negotiation has become a fundamental part of the acquisition process.

The digital arena presents many challenges but also considerable opportunities.  The key for information professionals is to gain a good understanding of these new dynamics and to develop the skills which will enable them to gain the best from every licence and each negotiation.  It follows that libraries whose staff have strong licensing and negotiation skills will have considerable advantage, particularly in the current economic climate.

Why you should attend

The course has been written for serials and acquisitions librarians involved in e-resource purchasing in academic institutions. The course focuses mainly on journals and other serially published content; librarians in academic 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 current key issues surrounding information licensing and negotiations, and how these impact libraries and their patrons
• be familiar with the key clauses in publisher licences
• enhance their understanding of licensing language and its effect
• be able to compare a ‘model’ licence with a publisher licence
• understand the principles of successful negotiation in the context of licensing online information resources
• understand the fundamental dos and don’ts of e-resource negotiation
• have the opportunity to share and resolve licensing and negotiation problems they have encountered in their work.

Fee

UKSG members: £195.00 + £39.00 VAT [20%] (total £234.00)
Non-members: £245.00 + £49.00 VAT [20%] (total £294.00)

The fee includes refreshments and lunch.

Venue

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (Council Room)
1 Carlton House Terrace
London
SW1Y 5DB

Tel.: 020 7451 7300 (Reception)

Feedback from previous Licensing and Negotiation Skills training courses:

100% of delegates on the 2012 course would recommend this course to a colleague.

“This is the best course I have been on for a long time.  The presenters' knowledge, humour and sensible approach made what can be a complicated subject less intimidating and easier to manage.”

“It was a very useful day.”

“I really thought the two speakers were great!”

“Every librarian involved in purchasing/licensing should do this course!”

“Lots of invaluable handouts.  Good mix of presentation and practical.  Nice informal style, felt very engaged with all content.”

Course content

Licensing
• Introduction: what is a licence and why do we have them?
• The licence as a grant of rights: issues of access vs. ownership
• The licence as a contract: the language and effect of publisher licences
• The devil in the detail: clause-by-clause examination of a ‘model’ licence; getting behind the legal speak; critical clauses; which clauses are likely to be negotiable and which not
• Discussion of delegates’ experience
• Summary: top licensing tips.

Negotiation skills
• Brief background: negotiating in the digital era
• Understanding the publisher: how the size, profile and market position of a publisher influences negotiations
• What the publisher wants; getting what you want; issues of affordability, value for money and sustainability
• Preparing for negotiation
• Negotiation scenarios; negotiation tactics
• Evaluating a publisher proposal
• Summary: the dos and don’ts of negotiation.

Course format

The course will be lively and engaging and will include the following elements:
• Presentations providing key information
• Sessions which encourage discussion of delegates’ experiences and concerns
• Quiz, exercises and other group work encouraging discussion and sharing of ideas
• Role play by course facilitators to illustrate key points
• Participants will also be given a comprehensive course pack and handouts designed to support them in their workplace.

Programme

09.15 Registration and coffee
09.45 Course introduction
10.15 Introduction to e-resource licensing
10.45 Break
11.00 Examining e-resource licensing in detail
12.00 Preparing for negotiations
12.45 Lunch
13.30 Negotiation tactics
14.15 Evaluating a publisher proposal (includes break at 14.45)
15.45 Closing comments and wrap-up (by 16.00)

Facilitators

Sarah Durrant, Red Sage Consulting
Tracy Gardner, Tracy Gardner Marketing

Between them the course facilitators have almost forty years' experience of working with publishers, libraries and a wide range of intermediaries in the scholarly information industry, much of this in the area of journals publishing, licensing and negotiation.

How to book

Booking for this event is now closed. For further information please contact Alison Whitehorn by email or by telephone 01635 254292

Venue location details will be sent with confirmation of booking.

Cancellations

By Wednesday 29 May 2013 - full refund
From Thursday 30 May 2013 - no refund

NB: UKSG reserves the right to alter or vary the programme due to events or circumstances beyond its reasonable control without being obliged to refund monies.