The Center for Research Libraries (CRL), in collaboration with several partners, including the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), has released the major upgrade of an important tool for library investment in electronic resources: a revised LIBLICENSE Model License Agreement. The new model license incorporates the best practices of the library profession and the best advice of legal and publishing professionals.
The LIBLICENSE Project, started in 1997 at Yale University by Ann Okerson, who now serves as senior advisor at CRL, provides a rich source of information and guidance for libraries and other institutions seeking to license digital resources for their faculty, students, and researchers.
The model license outlines the main provisions a good library e-resources content license should contain, highlighting as well key points for decisions and negotiations with publishers. The document is expected to support libraries' efforts to serve their users and achieve the core mission of preserving intellectual heritage in the digital age by negotiating the best terms of use. The original LIBLICENSE model license, released in 2001, has supported long-term access and stewardship goals. The new revision will help librarians address a new generation of issues and challenges.
The effort was made possible with funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. As with the initial 2001 version, the Council on Library and Information Resources again provided support and encouragement. New contributors to this significant, yearlong effort included the Association of Research Libraries, the California Digital Library (CDL), the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), and the NELLCO Law Library Consortium, as well as the Emory University Libraries.
In early 2015, the project expects to release an updated 'Create Your Own License' software. Based on this new model license, the software is a total rewrite of the previous version, which enjoyed a healthy lifespan of over a decade.
