RE: Ask a Live Librarian Online

["Sloan, Bernie" <bernies@uillinois.edu>]

I've brought this issue up several times on liblicense. I don't think
there's ever been a consensus one way or the other. Some are of the
opinion that it's a natural extension of onsite walk-in access, and others
say it can't be done unless the license specifically allows it.

Go to the liblicense archive
(http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/ListArchives/) and search on the
terms "licensing" and "reference" and you'll get some idea of the
discussions that have gone on in the past.

Bernie Sloan

-----Original Message-----

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.'

[SNIP]