We are pleased to announce the NN/LM PSR E-Licensing Program! The following series of questions and answers will help you decide if you would like to participate in this new venture. These questions and answers are also available on the NN/LM PSR web site on the Licensing Electronic Resources page. Please contact Julie Kwan at the RML office if you have any questions.

WHAT IS THE NN/LM PSR E-LICENSING PROGRAM?

The NN/LM PSR E-Licensing Program, designed in partnership with the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), is intended to provide consortial licensing opportunities for libraries in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. NN/LM members in the Pacific Southwest Region from nonprofit organizations are eligible to become SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates; they will then be able to acquire access to electronic resources at reduced rates negotiated by SCELC. RML staff members are available to assist NN/LM members throughout this process.

IS YOUR LIBRARY ELIGIBLE?

In order to participate in this program, your library must:

1. Be in a hospital or other healthcare institution,
2. Be a member of the NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region (having either joined or renewed membership during the 2006-2011 contract period),
3. Have an IP range,
4. Be able to demonstrate nonprofit status for their parent organization by providing an IRS documentation letter stating nonprofit status,
5. Agree to the payment policies and procedures described in the SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates Guidelines.

There may be additional eligibility requirements for specific offers; for example, some offers may only be available in certain states.

HOW DO YOU JOIN?

To become a SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate, you will need to fill out and return the following documents:

1. A signed SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate Agreement Form
2. Institutional Data Form
3. IRS Nonprofit Letter of Determination (get this from your institution)

When completed, fax these materials to 310-825-5389; upon validation of your membership in the NN/LM, these materials will be forwarded to SCELC. If you have any questions, you may contact Julie Kwan in the RML office at (310) 825-5342 or James Wiser, Assistant Director of SCELC, at (310) 728-6791.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

You will receive periodic announcements of vendor offerings throughout the year. It is solely your decision whether or not to participate in any specific offer. Joining as a SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate does not obligate you to purchase anything. There are no up-front cost obligations.

HOW WILL YOU LEARN ABOUT NEW LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES?

Your Regional Medical Library will announce new licensing opportunities through its announcement list, PSR-News, or through its newsletter, Latitudes. However, detailed offers will only be sent to libraries that already are SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates or eligible to become Affiliates. Whenever possible, SCELC will ask vendors to provide database trials and instructional webinars to explain their products and services. SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates will be able to participate in these trials and webinars in order to make informed purchase decisions.

HOW WILL YOU BE BILLED?

SCELC manages the financial aspects of this program and pays all vendor bills directly to vendors. New purchases or subscriptions are billed to the library upon purchase. In addition, SCELC will bill you for all of your licensed resources in one statement that is issued either once or twice a year using SCELC’s “Master Renewal” process. The Master Renewal is similar to how libraries work with subscription agents, where once or twice a year SCELC will bill a library for all of its existing SCELC-NN/LM resources. You will indicate your preference on your Institutional Data Form as to whether you want your master billing to occur annually or semiannually. SCELC will maintain detailed information about your licensing and billing choices; billing information will not be retained by the Regional Medical Library.

WHAT DOES SCELC CHARGE FOR ITS SERVICES?

For each electronic resource acquisition, SCELC charges a 5% administrative surcharge. This surcharge is the same for SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates and for SCELC members. In some cases, there may be an optional transaction fee to certain electronic resources or services requiring additional administration. Any additional fees will be described in the specific offer.

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

Although SCELC manages vendor negotiation and vendor payment, you have responsibilities as a SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate. You will be expected to:

1. Pay your bills in accordance with SCELC procedures as outlined in the SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate Guidelines.
2. Notify SCELC of any IP range changes.
3. Notify SCELC of any changes to your name or email address.
4. Work with your institution IT department as necessary to make sure that resources are accessible within your organization.
5. Provide training and promotion as appropriate within your organization to inform your clientele about the availability and use of licensed resources.

WHY DID WE CHOOSE SCELC AS A PARTNER?

SCELC has many years of experience negotiating and managing cooperative licensing of electronic resources for libraries of nonprofit private academic and research institutions in California. Of its current members, approximately 20% are also members of the NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region.

CAN YOU BECOME A SCELC MEMBER ON YOUR OWN?

You may be eligible to become an SCELC member, instead of a SCELC-NN/LM Affiliate, if you are from a private, nonprofit academic institution or private, nonprofit research library. Each member pays annual dues of $750 per year. In addition to participating in consortial licensing, SCELC members receive full membership benefits which entitle them to attend all SCELC events for free, access to the SCELC consortial ERMS, a free online subscription to the Charleston Advisor, opportunity to participate in SCELC governance, and opportunity to participate in the SCELC Digital Library Project using OCLC’s CONTENTdm. Non-members such as SCELC-NN/LM Affiliates are only eligible to participate in consortial licensing.

BACKGROUND

NLM’s Statement of Work for Regional Medical Libraries for the 2006-2011 contract included a section on e-licensing. NLM specifically asked RMLs to “[a]ssist…network members with negotiating e-licensing agreements that meet the needs of their institutions and support the mission of the NN/LM by providing resources on and training in e-licensing issues.”

In the PSR proposal for 2006-2011, we listed the following objectives relating to e-licensing:

1. Provide tools on the NN/LM PSR web site pointing to e-licensing resources.
2. Provide training for Network members on issues relating to e-licensing.
3. Work with regional consortia to promote group licensing opportunities.

We identified regional consortia and confirmed that there was a need for additional consortial licensing opportunities, especially for hospitals in California and Nevada. In December 2007, we conducted a survey of our members regarding e-licensing. Because of their strong interest, we moved forward to develop this program. We established an advisory committee to help us shape the goals and expectations of this program.

We anticipate it will take a year to get underway. We plan to evaluate this program during Years 4 and 5 of the 2006-2011 contract.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT E-LICENSING

Related information about e-licensing is available on these pages of the NN/LM PSR web site:

• Consortia in the Pacific Southwest Region
• Resources for Licensing Electronic Materials