Licensing for additional users and partner organizations: finding your way through the maze – a consortium perspective

Abstract

Libraries are increasingly being called upon to extend access to their online resources to users beyond their core constituencies. Every institution has its own unique arrangements, but they all raise similar questions for the library: are these users included under our existing licences or are separate ones needed? Will we have to pay more and, if so, how much? Where can I go for advice? This article considers these questions and the related issues from the licensing perspective of an established UK higher education licensing consortium (Jisc Collections), and two individual UK university libraries (King’s College London and the University of Nottingham), using examples of licensing for additional users with partners who are from a different sector, and for students who are located in different countries.