Aunt Sommy's Research Paper
Aunt Sommy's Research Paper
the real title of the paper is found below
Fifth Assignment
Databases, Licenses, and Their Impact on the Library Information Science Field
Samantha Saporito
LSC 555
Dr. Choi
October 25, 2009
These days the user, a student at a university or college, expects to find a list of
databases which the library system at their school offers on the library homepage.
One example is the “Home Page of The Catholic University of America University
Libraries” found at
http://libraries.cua.edu/welcome.html. Although the user is probably grateful
for the access to such databases via the library system, more than likely the user
does not consider questions that might be pertinent to a student in the School of
Library and Information Science. This paper addresses four questions. First, how
are universities and colleges able to provide their students with access to
databases such as JSTOR? Second, how has the electronic version of journals impacted
libraries? Third, how has the electronic version of journals affected a library’s
ability to store and retrieve the journal since the journal is no longer in printed
format? Fourth, what does the library have to do in terms of contracts and agreements,
and with whom are the contracts and agreements made, in order to make provide their
students with access to these databases?
Introduction
This paper focuses on the ways in which the electronic versions of journals found in
databases like JSTOR (an information retrieval system) have impacted the library as well
as the way in which the need to buy licenses affects a library’s use of, and access to,
these journals. The advantages and the disadvantages of databases will also be examined
as well. The database is an example of electronic resources; other electronic resources
include the websites found on the internet and CD-ROMs.
What is a license?
The Connection Between a License and a Database
In the introduction to Licensing Digital Resources: How to Avoid the legal Pitfalls,
Emanuella Giavarra states, “A license is a formal authority to do something which would
otherwise be unlawful.”1 Basically, licenses grant access to the electronic
resource and specify what a library is able to do and not do with the information contained
in the electronic resource. The library is required to purchase licenses from a vendor in
order to gain access to the particular electronic resource. The license allows the library
access to the electronic resource for a defined period of time, such as two years, with
the possibility of renewal if the library desires to continue access to the resource.
Also included in a license are the exact terms and conditions regarding the use of the
electronic resource as well as terms which clearly state who is able to access the
electronic resource and whether or not the user has to be connected to the
institution’s network in order to access the database (this condition deals with
the question of remote access).
In his work Electronic collection development, A practical guide, Stuart
D. Lee comments on the flexibility of licenses, since licenses are usually negotiated
and able to be tailored to more accurately fit a library’s expectations and needs.
Lee writes: “The first thing to remember is that in most cases licenses are not set
in stone. Individual institutions are always at liberty to discuss and negotiate deals
according to their own requirements.”2
The librarian’s job entails understanding license agreements and entering
into license agreements which provide optimal benefit to the library and its users.
Unfortunately, since licensing agreements function as legal documents, the terminology
and phrases found in license agreements can be confusing and difficult to understand.
The good news is that there are books and websites which explain and define the
licensing terminology and phrases as well as provide tips for making good license
agreements. A selection of such resources I discovered during the course of my
research is included after the Bibliography. The library also needs to be
concerned with managing its electronic resources; this is called the
Electronic Resource Management System (ERMS). The library needs to be aware of
when it needs to renew the license of databases and the cost of the renewal
as well as the licenses of all electronic resources maintained by the library.
Various Issues Concerning Databases
Some of the issues that need to be considered when dealing with databases include
the cost, the location of the computers granted access to the database (direct
versus remote access), and specifically who is able to access the database.
The cost of the database can depend on several factors such as the way in
which the vendor classifies the institution and whether the cost of the
electronic subscription is reduced if the library purchases a subscription
to the journals in print as well. Using The Catholic University of America
(CUA) as an example, access concerns whether or not the computer is required
to be connected to CUA’s network (examples include the individual laptops in
the dorms which are connected to a LAN line, the computers found in Mullen Library,
and the computers located in the third floor computer lab of Pangborn). If the
computer does not need to be connected to CUA’s network, this means that
the user is able to remotely access the databases when the user is off campus.
The databases at CUA allow users remote access; once the user has provided his
or her last name, the ID number found on the user’s Cardinal Card, and the
name of the university (Catholic), the user can access the databases from any
laptop or computer. The issue of who is able to access the database would determine
whether or not the following types of individuals are able to access the database:
current students of that university, staff, faculty, alumnae of that university, or
anyone in general. The fact that a license limits who has access to the database
can be viewed as a disadvantage. One might ask “Why is the scholarly research
limited only to those who can access the scholarly databases even though we live
in a technology shaped world focused on the sharing of ideas and collaboration since
wikis, blogs, and websites found on the internet allow individuals and computers
around the world to talk to with each other?”
Another issue involved in the licensing of databases concerns the fact that
sometimes the terms of the license can overrule the rights of the Copyright Act.
If a license agreement contains terms which overrule the Copyright Act, this is
not a good license agreement. One very important question which needs to be
considered is “Does the license allows for some degree of copying?” Vicki
Gregory comments on the critical difference between licensing and buying an
electronic resource and the various concerns involved, such as copying. She
writes “This distinction, which may sound inconsequential at first blush,
is nevertheless extremely important regarding the fair use rights of the library
purchaser, and regarding the library’s long-term access to the material.”3
She continues: “From the beginning, the drafters of copyright laws have generally
agreed that at least some kinds of copying should be permitted.”4
Gregory highlights the fact that some degree of copying is permitted with regard to
electronic resources.
A good license agreement will also allow resource sharing, an example of
which would be the interlibrary library loan (ILL). This means libraries which
have the particular journal are able to share the journal with libraries which
do not. This can be accomplished as an electronic version of the journal
article which is sent to the user’s MyALADIN, for example, and access is
available for two weeks before it disappears. The user would need to print
the article or download the article onto his or her laptop in order to have
access to the article after the two week period.
Another issue concerns how soon the recent issues of the journals can
be found electronically in the databases. For example, JSTOR
(Journal Storage) adds the recent issue of a journal after a period of
usually three to five years, this is called a “moving wall“ –
the time period is determined between the publisher of that specific journal
and JSTOR. JSTOR recognizes the fact that the publisher of the journal needs
to make a profit from journal subscriptions so this is the reason that the
most recent issues of a journal are not immediately available on JSTOR.
Another option between JSTOR and the publisher regarding the journals in the
database is known as a “fixed wall” which means JSTOR will not
add any more issues of that journal to JSTOR after a specified date. This is
no longer an option for publishers to choose but JSTOR is working with the
publishers who already have the “fixed wall” option so that the
“fixed wall” can become a “moving wall” since libraries
and others prefer the “moving wall” instead of the “fixed wall”
because it provides greater access to journals.5
One reason database access can be so costly reflects the fact that the
publisher of the journals needs to receive money in addition to the profits
generated from selling subscriptions of the print version of that journal
in order to reimburse the author of the journal article. The vendor of a
database is aware of this. One is left to wonder if it would ever be possible
for the cost of database access to become less expensive and possibly even free,
something which would significantly reduce the restrictions currently preventing
anyone from accessing these excellent resources and scholarly databases.
In the interest of promoting universal access, would it make sense to
have the government pay the authors (the scholars) of articles in the
scholarly journals instead of the publisher of the journal? My purpose
for raising such questions is not because I have the ideal answer but rather
to stimulate thinking and discussion of the issue.
How does a Database like JSTOR Impact Libraries?
(Includes the Advantages and Disadvantages of Databases)
Databases such as JSTOR provide libraries with access to journals
they might not physically have. For example, by means of a database CUA
has online access to numerous journals which CUA does not actually have
in print format. It is not possible for libraries to own all of the
scholarly journals which are in print because the library would not have
enough storage space nor would the library have the financial resources
to afford all of the subscription costs. Unfortunately, if the vendor of
the database decides to drop a particular journal or if the library decides
for some reason not to renew the license, that specific journal will no
longer be available to be accessed by the library’s users. This
could be frustrating to the users of the databases since journal
availability is not necessarily constant or guaranteed; the fact
that a particular journal was available the last time the individual
accessed that particular database does not guarantee that it will
always be available to be accessed.
One advantage of a database is that the journals available through
the database are not taking up space on the shelves which means that the
space which would have been filled by the print version of the journal can
be allocated to other journals and books which are not available
electronically. Finding the shelve space for all of the library’s
books, journals, and other resources is always a constant concern since
the library is continually adding to its collection.
Another advantage of databases is that the user can search for
journal articles by topic instead of knowing the exact journal name,
the title of the article, or the author of the article. In the past
someone would go to the journal in print after finding a citation in
a book or another journal article which made a reference to that
journal article. An individual who uses a database can search by
a word or a combination of words as in a Boolean Operator which
would result in a list of articles which the database matches
against the user’s search criteria. Additionally, it is very
simple for the user to refine the original search or to start a new
search using the database. Databases provide an efficient way to
search for information because the user is not wasting time finding
the different journals in print which could be in different areas of
the library and skimming the table of contents for a list of the articles
included in order to find an article that corresponds to his or her topic
of interest. For example, there are periodicals found on the first floor
in the stacks of Mullen Library, the third floor in the Religious Studies
and Philosophy Reading Room of Mullen Library, as well as elsewhere in the
Library. To thoroughly search these areas would be extremely time consuming!
The database also allows the user to print the list of results as well as the
actual journal articles.
One disadvantage is that the database relies on the internet and if
anything was to disrupt access to the internet the user would not be able
to access the database. What would happen in the event the internet was
down for a prolonged period of time – a week, a month, or a few months?
In this case the user would be able to access the print version of whatever
journals are maintained by the library.
Further questions concern the continued existence of JSTOR. What
would happen if JSTOR suddenly does not exist? What happens to all of
those journals which were available on JSTOR? What happens to the text
files and the image files which the journals were stored as in JSTOR?
Since websites do disappear suddenly the continued existence of JSTOR
should be a concern.
Another disadvantage, or advantage depending on one’s perspective,
is that access to some journals comes bundled with other journals; this is the
reason it is possible for a specific electronic journal to be available in
several databases. In the interest of controlling costs, a library would
not want to pay for access to a journal in a database it is considering
purchasing if the library already has access to that identical journal
in a database for which it already has a license. Since access to databases
costs money, usually thousands of dollars, is it worthwhile for a library to
have access to the same electronic journal in several databases? One situation
in which this might make sense would be if one of the databases was slow, the
user would then be able to try the other databases to access the electronic
journal. One factor which might ultimately influence the decision to obtain
a duplicate subscription to the journal might be the frequency this journal
is accessed by users and the number of users “ one department, several
departments, or the whole university.
Since the library has always been the location for storing books,
journals, maps, and anything else for continual and future use, one
interesting impact databases have had on the library regards storage.
The authors write their works and it is the library that preserves,
protects, and stores these works so they can be available to others.
As a result of the technology advances of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries, some storage is no longer being done by the library itself but
is done by others such as JSTOR.
JSTOR was the Answer to a Problem of the 1980s
The problem was the rising subscription prices of journals in the 1980s and
meant a huge percentage of a library’s budget was dedicated to journal
acquisition often at the expense of other items such as books and monographs.6
JSTOR began as a pilot program in 1995 and “became available officially in
January, 1997,”7 since then it has been a huge success. Marilyn
Deegan and Simon Tanner comment upon JSTOR’s plan to help libraries to find
shelve space: “The plan was to convert back issues to electronic files,
allowing libraries to dispose of the paper version and thus free up shelve space
and save capital costs.”8 They continue by noting that libraries
which had never purchased the actually physical journal now gained access to the
electronic journal through JSTOR: “A collateral benefit is that smaller
institutions who have never purchased some of the titles in the first place can
now access them at a fraction of the cost of the initial subscription.”9
Abbey Smith comments on the relationship between the subscription
fee and what the fee allows JSTOR to do: “It charges a one-time fee to all
subscribers to support the costs of digitalizing print journals and managing
those files.”10 Instead of the libraries being responsible for
the storage of the print version of journals, it is JSTOR that is digitally
storing the journal and allowing many institutions access to the digitally
stored journals, after they have paid the subscription fee.
Conclusion
Databases offer libraries tremendous advantages since they do
not require shelve space; however the disadvantage is that the library
does not buy the database so access to the database is not ensured forever.
It is extremely important that the librarian thoroughly understands and carefully
reviews the terms of the licensing agreements for all electronic resources
since the failure to do so could result in consequences. As one can see,
electronic resources, in particular the database, provide considerable
advantages to both the library and their users, however they are an
extremely complex issue with concerns which might not be immediately
obvious to a student using the databases provided by his or her university
or college. In summary, databases have impacted libraries in many ways
since storage, an important feature of the library, is being done by others.
In addition, the online access of journals allows individuals a greater extent
of access to the journals since more individuals now have access to the journals,
individuals can access the databases remotely (the user does not have to be physically
inside the library to use the databases), and the library now has access to journals
it never had before.
1
E. Giavarra, Licensing Digital Resources: How to Avoid the Legal Pitfalls,
2nd ed. (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations: The
Hague, 2001), 3,
http://www.eblida.org/index.php?page=publications.
2
Stuart D. Lee, Electronic collection development A practical guide
(New York: Neal-Schuman Publishing, 2002), 81.
3
Vicki L. Gregory, Selecting and Managing Electronic Resources A How-To-Do-IT Manual,
no 101, How-To-Do-It Manuals For Librarians (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000), 69.
4
Gregory, 69.
6
Kevin M. Guthrie, “JSTOR, in Encyclopedia of Library and Information
Science, ed. Miriam A. Drake. Vol. 2 Des-Lib Pages 803-1590. 2nd ed.
(New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003), 1467.
7
Mary Beth Fecko, Electronic Resources: Access and Issues, Topics in Library
and Information Studies (New Providence, NJ: Bowker-Saur, 1997), 81.
8
Marilyn Deegan and Simon Tanner, Digital futures Strategies for the
information age (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2002), 73.
9
Deegan and Tanner, 73.
10
Abby Smith, “Strategies for preserving digital content,” In The
Whole Digital Library Handbook, ed. Diane Kresh for the Council on Library
and Information Resources (Chicago: American Library Association, 2007), 360-361.
Bibliography
American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of
Academic Health Science Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical
Library Association, and Special Libraries Association. “Principles for Licensing
Electronic Resources (July ’ 97).” Association of Research Libraries.
http://www.arl.org/sc/marketplace/license/licprinciples.shtml.
Carrico, Jeffrey C. and Kathleen L. Smalldon. “Licensed to ILL:
A Beginning Guide to Negotiating E-Resources Licenses to Permit Resource
Sharing.” In The Changing Landscape For Electronic Resources: Content,
Access, Delivery, and Legal Issues. Edited by Yem S. Fong and Suzanne M.
Ward. The Journal of Library Administration Monographic Separates. New York:
Haworth Information Press, 2004, 41-54.
Christou, Corilee and Gail Dykstra. “Licensing Electronic Content.”
In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. Edited by Miriam A. Drake.
Vol 3 Lib-Pub Pages 1591-2378. 2nd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003, 1669-1679.
Deegan, Marilyn and Simon Tanner. Digital futures Strategies for the information
age. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2002.
Fecko, Mary Beth. Electronic Resources: Access and Issues. Topics in Library
and Information Studies. New Providence, NJ: Bowker-Saur, 1997.
Giavarra E. Licensing Digital Resources: How to Avoid the Legal Pitfalls.
2nd ed. European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations: The Hague,
2001.
http://www.eblida.org/index.php?page=publications.
Gregory, Vicki L. Selecting and Managing Electronic Resources A How-To-Do-IT Manual,
no 101. How-To-Do-It Manuals For Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000.
Guthrie, Kevin M. “JSTOR.” In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science.
Edited by Miriam A. Drake. Vol. 2 Des-Lib Pages 803-1590. 2nd ed. New York:
Marcel Dekker, 2003, 1467-1473.
Lee, Stuart D. Electronic collection development A practical guide.
New York: Neal-Schuman Publishing, 2002.
Reitz, Joan M. Dictionary for Library and Information Science.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Smith, Abby. “Strategies for preserving digital content.“ In The Whole
Digital Library Handbook. Edited by Diane Kresh for the Council on Library and
Information Resources. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007, 358-363.
Yale University. “Liblicense Licensing Digital Information A Resource For Librarians.”
http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/
(accessed October 27, 2009).
Useful Resources for Gaining an Understanding
of the Basics of License Agreements and Databases
American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association
of Academic Health Science Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Medical
Library Association, and Special Libraries Association. “Principles for Licensing
Electronic Resources (July ’ 97).” Association of Research Libraries.
http://www.arl.org/sc/marketplace/license/licprinciples.shtml.
This article focuses on licenses and includes fifteen principles for licensing
electronic resources. These principles are brief but they help the individual to
understand the aspects of licenses and how these aspects can work to the library’s advantage.
Christou, Corilee and Gail Dykstra. “Licensing Electronic Content.” In Encyclopedia
of Library and Information Science. Edited by Miriam A. Drake. Vol 3 Lib-Pub Pages 1591-2378.
2nd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2003, 1669-1679.
This article provides a detailed analysis of licenses and provides examples of the different
sections of a license, the steps involved for a library which wishes to buy a license,
and advice for the library in the process of negotiating the license with the vendor.
Giavarra E. Licensing Digital Resources: How to Avoid the Legal Pitfalls.
2nd ed. European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations: The Hague,
2001.
http://www.eblida.org/index.php?page=publications.
This lengthy document examines the license and the clauses found within a license.
Gregory, Vicki L. Selecting and Managing Electronic Resources A How-To-Do-IT Manual,
no 101. How-To-Do-It Manuals For Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000.
This book focuses on the selection of electronic resources and licenses (negotiating and managing).
I had plans of including more information I learned from this book in my paper but in order to do
so I would have needed to devote more space to it than was possible with the page limitation.
Guenther, Kim. “Making Smart Licensing Decisions.” Computers in Libraries.
http://infotoday.com/cilmag/jun00/guenther.htm
This short article (less than four pages) focuses on criteria that the library can
use to judge the selection of an electronic resource and the license agreement.
Guthrie, Kevin M. “JSTOR.” In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science.
Edited by Miriam A. Drake. Vol. 2 Des-Lib Pages 803-1590. 2nd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker,
2003, 1467-1473.
This article provides a detail history of JSTOR including the time when JSTOR was a pilot program,
its accomplishments, and goals up to 2003.
Reitz, Joan M. Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
This dictionary provides very authoritative definitions for words like authorized use,
database, electronic resource, licensing agreement, site license, and vendor which allow the
individual to gain a basic idea of the meaning of the words and how they are used in the
field of library and information science.
Yale University. “Liblicense Licensing Digital Information A Resource For Librarians.”
http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/
(accessed October 27, 2009).
This website contains a vast amount of information dealing with the licensing topic;
two very good sections on this website are “Licensing Vocabulary” and “Licensing
Terms & Descriptions”. The “Licensing Vocabulary” section contains an extensive
list of words and definitions while the “Licensing Terms & Descriptions” section includes
licensing agreement clauses, the issues involved with each clause, and examples of how each
clause would appear in a license agreement.
“JSTOR: Moving Wall.” JSTOR
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/archives/journals/movingWall.jsp.
This page contains information about the fact that recent issues of journals are not found on
JSTOR as well as information pertaining to the concepts of “moving wall” and
“fixed wall”.
this page was last updated on December 16, 2009 at 6:00 AM