Working with licensed resources

Libraries license resources from electronic journal and database vendors for use by their own patrons only. How can we use licensed resources in a collaborative environment?

Licensing agreements will vary from library to library. In general, in order to comply with current licensing and copyright law, librarians should:

1. Lead the patron to the licensed resources available at their own library. Using the patron's local access point will make sure the patron has legal access to the resource and will also promote the resource locally.

Typically, libraries license resources for their own user populations. If a library provides a library card number or barcode for their own patrons' access to databases, the barcode is usually intended to be used by librarians from cooperative partners to assist local patrons.

Use the bookmarks in your console or on the policy pages to find the patron's local resources.

If the patron does not have a library card or pin number to access the resource, you can help them get one.

2. Lead the patron to the statewide database license products. Almost everyone in Oregon has legal access to Gale databases. It is best to access the resource through the patron's local library.

3. Use your own resources to find answers, but do not share the resource with the patron. Share the answer and fully cite the resource.

4. Don't forget about print resources. A patron using L-net from inside of a library probably has a lot of great reference sources nearby. Use the patron's library catalog to help find them.

5. Refer the question. If you think the question requires a licensed resource that neither you nor the patron has access to, code the question for followup and refer the question to a library that you think does.

For background, see the Answerland Database Licensing report prepared by Maureen Kelly (OSU-Cascades) and Janice Weide (Salem Public Library) in Septemeber, 2003.