Re: Ask a Live Librarian Online

["Mary Seligman" <Seligman@adelphi.edu>]

Good morning:

I'm assuming that to remotely access the electronic resources, a patron
would need to have a user name and password issued by the university.  As
long as that criterion is met, there would be no violation of the license
agreement.  A walk-in patron would not have remote access authorization.
If I understand this situation, the 'walk-in' user would be viewing
documents via a librarian.  I think it's likely a violation of the intent
of the license to limit off campus use to authorized users.

Mary Seligman
Acquisitions Librarian
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY 11530


>>> liblicen@pantheon.yale.edu 03/24/05 09:26PM >>>

From: Albert Joy <albert.joy@uvm.edu>

At the University of Vermont, the Reference Department has begun a pilot
project called: "Ask a Live Librarian Online".

One of the functions of this online chat service is that the librarian and
user can co-browse web sites. So, we can search together and both see what
is happening.  Virtually all of our electronic resource licenses allow
walkin-users, physically present in the library, to search, etc. our
licensed resources.  In this case, the user connecting with the librarian,
is not physically in the library.

Therefore, my immediate reaction was to tell the reference librarian in
charge of the project, that there appears to be a licensing problem with
the new service.  She answered:

"However;  a pretty good argument can be made for this not really being
any different than a patron coming into the building. They don't have
independent access and can only view materials as long as we are their
escorts.'

Have other libraries started similar projects?  If so, have you thought
about this licensing issue?

Thanks,

Albert Joy
University of Vermont