Subject: Re: The role of subscription agents
From: jamie wodetzki (jwodetzk@nla.gov.au)
Date: to 04 helmi 1971 - 10:49:06 EET
On Mon, 24 Jun 1996, Emanuella Giavarra wrote:
> At a Swets seminar in the Netherlands on the changing role of
> organizations in the information chain, Mr Jan Velterop, Managing
> Director of Academic Press UK, stressed that he was keen that publishers
> and subscription agents worked together for the good of customers in
> areas such as licence administration...
<snip>
> Is this the preferred mechanism for librarians?
Since no Europeans have chimed in with a view, here's one from down under.
I believe the subscription agents are very well placed to get involved
with licence admin. The problem with a licence based approach is that
every publisher seems to have its own version of 'standard' terms and
conditions. Each library has very little chance to bargain over these T+C
and ends up with many licences, lots of fine print, and no idea what any
of it means.
If the subscription agents took a more active role in licence
administration, they would be in a position to suggest simplifications to
those licences and eventually, to move all publishers towards a standard
form agreement (as much as this is possible). At least then libraries
would have a chance of knowing what the T+C of use actually say. Only
then can the publishers hope to have the licence conditions followed.
I understand that Blackwell's are getting into this.
Jamie Wodetzki <jwodetzk@nla.gov.au> | W 616 262 1273
Copyright Research Officer \ / H 616 239 6113
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