While serials and monographs frequently dominate licensing discussions, licensing of primary source content and non-traditional resources such as data sets continues to face unmet challenges. The increasing range and complexity of products--including large aggregations of data with proprietary analytical tools and services--make assessment and valuation difficult. Producers not accustomed to academic licensing practices (such as those in news, statistical, and geospatial information) include “non-negotiable” access provisions and terms that challenge even the most experienced licensing staff. Vendors' practices have evolved also; many try to “divide the market” through individual discounts and direct faculty approaches.

CRL and like-minded consortia seek to expand the availability of content for their member institutions by negotiating favorable terms for purchase or subscription to major electronic resources, leveraging the collective strength and purchasing power of participating institutions. Tools such as LIBLICENSE and eDesiderata support sharing of licensing information and best practices among institutions and groups.

CRL's 2019 eDesiderata Forum will focus on strategies for member engagement within (and among) consortia to achieve greater strength in collective dealings with content producers and aggregators. CRL and NERL hope to gain insights on successful approaches that will benefit their members. Discussion led by experts at national-level consortia will focus on best practices to achieve alignment of member interests and obtain transparent and equitable terms and pricing.

Agenda

12:00 Noon-12:15 p.m. CT  Introduction

12:15-12:45 p.m. CT  CRKN's Member Engagement and Strategic Planning

Clare Appavoo (Executive Director) & Craig Olsvik (Manager of Licensing) from The Canadian Research Knowledge Network will discuss CRKN’s large scale content acquisition and licensing program. CRKN currently manages over 54 licenses on behalf of its member libraries. The presentation will focus on the organization’s approach to member engagement, noting how member feedback loops strengthen CRKN’s negotiations and licensing activities. Clare and Craig will also discuss strategic planning mechanisms that advance CRKN’s content and licensing programs.

12:45-1:15 p.m. CT  Jisc's Group Purchasing for UK Libraries

Paola Marchionni (Head of digital resources for teaching, learning and research) and Karen Colbron (Digital content manager) will discuss the development of Jisc’s Group Purchasing Scheme for acquisition of digital archival collections of primary source materials. Paola and Karen will note opportunities and challenges the organization has faced in leveraging the collective strength of members in negotiations with publishers.

1:15-1:45 p.m. CT  NERL's Negotiation Committee Outcomes

Christine Stamison (Director) from the NorthEast Research Libraries consortium (NERL) will discuss the approaches and outcomes of NERL’s Negotiation Committee. Christine will explain how the Committee has improved negotiations with publishers and enabled the licensing of new resources for NERL members.

1:45-2:15 p.m. CT  ABLD & AALL: Member Advocacy and Vendor Relations

Jason Sokoloff (Vendor Relations Chair, Academic Business Library Directors) and Deborah Heller (Vice Chair, Committee on Vendor Relations, American Association of Law Libraries) will discuss the unique and pivotal role of the ABLD and AALL consortia in facilitating communication between librarians and information providers in the areas of business and law, focusing on how these groups are able to collectively advocate for their members through their Vendor Relations programs.

2:15-2:45 p.m. CT  Panel Discussion: How Can CRL and NERL Best Serve Members' Interests?

Panelists:

• Julie Linden, Director of Collection Development, Yale University Library
• Monica Ward, Head of Collection Strategy, University of Ottawa
• Nancy Godleski, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Core Services, Vanderbilt University

The annual eDesiderata Forum brings expert knowledge and insight to bear on the challenges of acquisition, licensing, and enabling access to major databases, data sets, and data services for scholarly research. These programs explore community interest in commercial and open access data sources, illuminate market practices and economics, and identify priorities for CRL and NERL licensing on behalf of member libraries.

The eDesiderata Forum is open to librarians, staff, and faculty at CRL and NERL member institutions. To encourage real-time participation and discussion, recordings will not be available, but speakers’ slides and summary reports will be posted after the event.