Licence restrictions

["M Ros Doig" <M.R.Doig@derby.ac.uk>]

Dear All

How is it in the teaching and learning climate in which we find ourselves
these days when we need to give our patrons flexible access to all kinds
of electronic learning materials that some publishers haven't the wit to
understand this? Not only that from a British point of view there seems to
be a rigid interpetation of the word site? We are a multi-site university
but on a single computer network. Our IP addresses cannot be broken down
by site.  The courses we teach are site specific and do not duplicate each
other. All but one of our 5 sites are also within the local city limits.

A well-known US university publisher gives free Internet access to its
e-journals on a site specific basis, no remote access and certainly not
through other vendors/agents. Curiously this same publisher makes certain
journal articles available through an aggregator but not online versions
as such. After months of neogotiation with this publisher and explanations
from me which availed little we were offered a multi-site license which
then added the proviso that we had to commit to no cancellations for three
years. We simply cannot make that commitment at my institution as we
operate on budgets that in real terms are shrinking.

To my way of thinking the Internet is ready made for flexible access -
from wherever patrons need it. The narrow thinking of this publisher
leaves me disheartened to say the least. And if it's a question of
protecting their clients interests as was suggested then it's time the
clients moved into the 21st century!! Just sounding-off!!


Ros Doig
Serials & Inter-lending Librarian
University of Derby
Learning Centre
Kedleston Road
Derby
DE22 1GB

Tel. +44 1332 591204
Fax. +44 1332 597773
Email M.R.Doig@Derby .ac.uk