Advice on breach

["Helen Anderson" <HAnderson@rcl.lib.rochester.edu>]

We were recently informed by a vendor that one of our users had downloaded
thousands of articles from one of the vendors titles in very short period
of time.  Wanting to comply, we identified the culprit and have taken
appropriate action. Still, the vendor asks us to provide them with an
assurance that such downloading will not take place again.

This is our first breach ever. I am wondering, in material terms, how I
can confidently issue such an assurance when these things are impossible
to control? We can educate our users, but we can't stand over them while
they work. Would it not be more practical for the vendor to put into place
some kind of warning that pops up on the screen when someone reaches a
certain level of downloading? Aren't there products that do this now? I
think I heard that NetLibrary does this.

Also, should the letter go out to the vendor under the name of the Dean of
Libraries, or would one from the humble office of the Head of Collection
Development or Acquisitions suffice? What is the protocol here?

Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Helen Anderson
Head, Collection Development
River Campus Libraries
University of Rochester
Tel. 716-275-3302
e-mail handerson@rcl.lib.rochester.edu