Re: libraries and licensing of personal database subscriptions

["David Bickford" <dlbickfo@email.uophx.edu>]

I would advise taking a hard line that the library cannot fund individual
subscriptions or reimburse individuals for these expenses.

Otherwise, imagine the precedent that would be set and the extent to which
this practice could drain a library's budget.

There are several online information vendors (e.g. Questia, Highbeam) that
sell subscriptions directly to individuals. These vendors' market
penetration seems low right now, but if students knew their institutions
would pay for their subscriptions, they might sign up in large numbers.  
Since some of these vendors target undergraduate and generalist
populations, the costs could be considerable. Libraries might then have to
divert large portions of their budgets to funding resources over which
they have no control and vendors with which they have no contractual
relationship.

In addition, if the library buys the subscription, it also becomes the
researcher's point of contact for technical problems despite having not
having the typical library-vendor relationship in place to ensure prompt
troubleshooting of access problems.

I have had a few requests along these lines and have uniformly declined
them. I have never had the decision appealed to a higher level within the
university administration, but I am confident I would be backed up in the
event of a challenge. Of course, I say this from the perspective of
working at a teaching institution. Those who work at a research
institution might encounter a different climate.

David Bickford
Director of University Learning Resources
University of Phoenix
dlbickfo@email.uophx.edu