Developing model licenses for electronic resources: cooperation in a competitive world

The development of model licenses for use in the procurement of electronic journals is part of a necessary streamlining of an unfamiliar and burdensome process. Copyright law is inadequate to deal with the scope and accessibility of online journals, the interests of journal owners, or the specific needs of the serials community. Licensing is taking its place. A suite of model licenses is now in the public domain for use as part of the process of negotiating the purchase of electronic journal content for individual libraries and for consortia. These model licenses can help reduce the negotiation and administration for both publishers and librarians. They do not predict the outcome of negotiation or specify best practice; but rather are tools in a new and rapidly changing, information environment.