Sophia Guevara is a regular contributor to the Consortium of Foundation Libraries blog.
As a librarian, one of the services I provide is digital content procurement and licensing. Part of that process is negotiating the most beneficial terms of use for the organization. Sometimes, however, there are terms that a vendor just won’t budge on, which means giving staff members news they may not want to hear. Even if you don’t always understand the reason for these decisions, it is important to follow your librarian’s advice on acceptable access and use since intentionally violating a contract can quickly become a time-consuming and expensive proposition.
To help you better understand why some limitations exist, here are four possible scenarios:
Scenario #1: Our organization has an online subscription to a journal and I found an interesting article that I want to post to my organization’s intranet. However, my librarian has advised against this. Why can’t I do this?
Answer: Within the terms of use, the vendor may have expressly prohibited the posting of its content to an intranet. Authorized users may be able to print a copy of an article, store a digital copy on their desktop, or even e-mail an article to authorized users within an organization, but many times lines are drawn at intranet posting or repository storage.
Scenario #2: I am currently working with a consultant on a project and they need access to a database or online journal subscribed to by my library subscribes to. I want to share my assigned account username and password with them, but my librarian won’t allow this. Why?
Answer: For resources that require assigned login information, vendors usually require that reasonable efforts are made to ensure this information isn’t shared with unauthorized users. Sometimes vendors will track the usage of an assigned account in order to monitor usage of their content. If your consultant needs access to a particular database or journal and the terms of the resource agreement don’t allow them to access it, encourage them to contact the vendor to request a trial or buy their own subscription or visit the local library to gain access to the information they need.
Scenario #3: My library doesn’t subscribe to an expensive journal or database that I really need to access. There are a few articles that a university colleague told me about and he was kind enough to offer his login so I could access them. When I told my librarian that I no longer needed help accessing the articles because I received this information from my friend, I was told to stop immediately. Why can’t I do this?
Answer: Some may think it is okay to use login passwords of their professional contacts who work at universities to access expensive resources that their organization can’t or won’t pay for. But, you have to understand that you are helping your colleague put their organization at risk. While resource contracts for university libraries sometimes allow access by those who are not covered by the faculty, staff, student and alumni definition, it is most likely limited to users who physically visit the library itself.
Scenario #4: I’m working on an important project but won’t be able to make it to my foundation’s library to do the necessary research. Our library subscribes to a great database but employees can’t access it outside the library. Why won’t the librarian provide off-site access to such a great resource?
Answer: Sometimes vendors limit access to particular terminals within an organization’s physical library. Providing off-site access may not even be an option or may be so expensive that the librarian has to say no.
In conclusion, if you have any questions or concerns about the usage and access limitations of a resource, make sure to speak with your foundation librarian.
Sophia Guevara is a regular contributor to the Consortium of Foundation Libraries blog.
