RE: Remote access

["Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>]

> 	You're in a public library. Why wouldn't you want to support
> institutions (for profit and not for profit) in your service area? If
> you facilitate personal remote access why would you prohibit corporate
> remote access?

The question isn't what Jamie "wants" to do, but what Jamie is legally
permitted to do.  The information to which libraries purchase access is
not owned by the libraries; it's owned by the copyright holders.  When it
comes to online databases, license terms generally forbid a library to
provide wholesale access to another corporate entity.  While I think Jamie
ought not to worry too much about the "spirit" of a license (licenses
don't have spirits, they have terms, and it's each party's job to adhere
to those terms, period) he is absolutely right to be concerned about
whether his institution is living up to its agreements.

-------------
Rick Anderson
Electronic Resources/Serials Coordinator
The University Libraries
University of Nevada, Reno
1664 No. Virginia St.
Reno, NV  89557
PH  (775) 784-6500 x273
FX  (775) 784-1328
rickand@unr.edu