Re: Cost of Electronic Resources - a pricing model

[Mary Kay <mhk1@axe.humboldt.edu>]

A pricing model based on number of possible users does not work for
specialized resources.  Some databases are of fairly broad utility, but
most have interest to a subset of the university.  Encyclopedia Britannica
may be considered relevant to all segments of campus, but a nursing,
philosophy, zoology, sports or linguistics database is not of broad
appeal.  Since library funding is a declining segment of the American
university budget, any attempt to price a specialized resource on the
basis of total headcount is not likely to appeal to collection development
librarians. 

In my opinion, licensing for simultaneous users is the most effective
pricing model to date.  The library buys what it needs to support the
demand, within the limit of available funds.  This is the only flat
pricing model which relates to actual use of which I am aware. 


Mary Kay
Humboldt State University Library
mhk1@axe.humboldt.edu

http://www.library.yale.edu/liblicense © 1996, 1997 Yale University Library		Please read our Disclaimer E-mail us with feedback

Founded in 1949, the Center for Research Libraries is a consortium of over 250 academic and independent research libraries in the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong. CRL supports advanced research and teaching in the humanities, sciences and social sciences by preserving and making available to scholars the primary source materials critical to those disciplines.

Center for Research Libraries

• Staff Directory
• A-Z
• Site Map
• Feedback

6050 S. Kenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637-2804 USA

Phone: (800) 621-6044 or (773) 955-4545
Fax: (773) 955-4339

• About CRL
• Membership
• Collaborations

• Collections
• Services
• Archiving & Preservation