Developing and Managing Electronic Collections by Peggy Johnson

Author:Peggy Johnson [Johnson, Peggy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LAN025060
ISBN: 978838996164
Publisher: American Library Association
Published: 2013-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Our two organizations have agreed to work together in the coming months to address our mutual short- and long-term challenges, including an exploration of potential new approaches and evolving publishing models. We look forward to a successful planning and experimentation process that results in mutual agreement that serves all stakeholder groups—NPG, the UC libraries, and the scholar community, thus avoiding the need for the boycott that had been discussed at an earlier stage.7

In February 2012, UC released an update covering several points, which concluded, “Although we have not yet reached agreement on a model that would allow us to add new NPG journal titles, UC and NPG have agreed to maintain their existing license while discussions continue.”8 Few libraries have the combined power of the UC system, but many librarians were heartened to see the results of the UC refusal to agree to yet another price increase.

Refusing to accept a price increase or a proposal is not the only option. Remember that content providers want to maintain their customers and hope to increase their volume of business. Libraries can offer incentives. For example, a library might offer to consolidate more of its ordering with a subscription agent in exchange for a lower service fee or with a vendor for a deeper discount. Libraries may consider making prepayments or setting up deposit accounts with a supplier if the supplier is financially sound. Research has shown that libraries with larger budgets are able to negotiate larger discounts. A report from Primary Research Group found that 25.6 percent of vendors that supply video and audio to libraries are open to price negotiation and that some libraries negotiated as much as 60 percent off the initial price.9 A librarian cannot determine if a content or service provider is willing to negotiate without asking.

If the relationship between the vendor and the librarian is fair-minded and they share an understanding that both are trying to do their best for their organizations, an amicable settlement often can be reached. The key is to engage in principled negotiation, remove personalities from the equation, and focus on a solution that addresses the interests of all parties.

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