The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Executive Committee has updated its transparency principles for licensing agreements in response to emerging artificial intelligence (AI) challenges. The revised statement, approved on October 19, 2026, reaffirms transparency as a core principle in negotiations involving licensed digital content.
Research libraries across the United States and Canada collectively spend approximately $1.8 billion each year on scholarly and research materials, with a significant portion allocated to licensed digital resources. As libraries continue to pursue goals such as open access, affordability, author rights, accessibility, and advanced research methods, ARL stated that transparency in pricing and contract terms remains essential for serving researchers and academic communities effectively.
The updated statement highlights the growing importance of transparency as licensing agreements increasingly govern the use of content in computational research, including text and data mining, AI applications, and other analytical methods. ARL indicated that confidential licensing arrangements can obscure not only the costs of access but also the rights and limitations associated with content use.
ARL also raised concerns about the increasing inclusion of broad AI-related restrictions in publisher licensing agreements. The organization stated that some clauses limit the use, creation, or processing of licensed content through AI-enabled tools. It further noted that such restrictions may apply to commonly used academic and workplace software that now includes AI functionality by default.
The Executive Committee also emphasized that reducing or eliminating nondisclosure requirements can improve information-sharing within institutions and among peer organizations. ARL suggested that greater visibility into licensing terms could help libraries identify common challenges and coordinate efforts to negotiate more favorable agreements.
In addition, ARL recognized several initiatives aimed at increasing transparency in the scholarly publishing market, including efforts by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the ESAC Transformative Agreement Registry, and the SPARC Big Deal Cancellation Tracking database. The organization noted that some libraries and consortia have already made contract information publicly available through institutional repositories and websites.
ARL called on its member libraries to continue prioritizing transparency in digital content licensing, particularly when negotiating terms related to AI-enabled uses of scholarly materials. The organization maintained that contracts covering journals, e-books, and educational content should not be treated as trade secrets or shielded from public view through nondisclosure agreements, and that licensing arrangements should not impose restrictions that limit legitimate research activities.
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