NESLI: an agent for change or changing the agent? Available to Purchase

The UK higher education community’s National Electronic Site Licence Initiative (NESLI) is an attempt to encourage the widespread usage of electronic journals as replacements for print. Although this is to a large extent about reducing the financial barriers to the take‐up of electronic journals, another firm aim is to further integrate provision of electronic journals with the full range of electronic services offered to the academic community. This paper examines the origins of the initiative, the Managing Agent’s functions, and the results of the initiative so far. It goes on to consider the viability of the NESLI model and possible future roles for subscription agents in the electronic world.