Provides an overview of issues surrounding electronic media access licenses for librarians.

Of the second edition, ARBA declared, “Harris’s book has become the standard for libraries and has yet to have an equal published that is either as useful or as clear.” Covering the basics of digital licensing for librarians, the new third edition provides a freshened look at all the key issues as well as updated sample agreement clauses. Giving library professionals and students the understanding and the tools needed to negotiate and organize license agreements, Harris uses a plain-language approach that demystifies the process. Her guide explains licensing terminology and discusses changes in technology, including developments such as text and data mining;points out opportunities for cost savings;features many useful tools such as a comprehensive digital license checklist;provides sources of additional information on the global aspects of licensing; andwalks readers through educating organizations that have signed license agreements. In its new edition, this resource remains a must-have for all information professionals who deal with licenses for electronic resources.

Provides an overview of issues surrounding electronic media access licenses for librarians.

A comprehensive and practical textbook in the field of intellectual property licensing.

This volume provides guidance on information acquisition, including copyright and contract matters.

Licensing Electronic Resources in Academic Libraries: A Practical Handbook provides librarians charged with reviewing, negotiating, and processing licenses with fundamental information that will ensure they not only understand the contents of a license, but are also able to successfully complete the licensing life cycle from start to finish. The contents of the monograph includes basic concepts, real word examples, and tips for negotiation. Ideal resource for both new and practicing librarians who are responsible for licensing information resources Written from both a librarian’s and procurement officer’s point-of-view Includes examples directly related to libraries Provides a step-by-step explanation of contract language and suggestions on how to best negotiate impasses and negotiation tips

Professor Litman's work stands out as well-researched, doctrinally solid, and always piercingly well-written.-JANE GINSBURG, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property, Columbia UniversityLitman's work is distinctive in several respects: in her informed historical perspective on copyright law and its legislative policy; her remarkable ability to translate complicated copyright concepts and their implications into plain English; her willingness to study, understand, and take seriously what ordinary people think copyright law means; and her creativity in formulating alternatives to the copyright quagmire. -PAMELA SAMUELSON, Professor of Law and Information Management; Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, University of California, BerkeleyIn 1998, copyright lobbyists succeeded in persuading Congress to enact laws greatly expanding copyright owners' control over individuals' private uses of their works. The efforts to enforce these new rights have resulted in highly publicized legal battles between established media and new upstarts.In this enlightening and well-argued book, law professor Jessica Litman questions whether copyright laws crafted by lawyers and their lobbyists really make sense for the vast majority of us. Should every interaction between ordinary consumers and copyright-protected works be restricted by law? Is it practical to enforce such laws, or expect consumers to obey them? What are the effects of such laws on the exchange of information in a free society?Litman's critique exposes the 1998 copyright law as an incoherent patchwork. She argues for reforms that reflect common sense and the way people actually behave in their daily digital interactions.This paperback edition includes an afterword that comments on recent developments, such as the end of the Napster story, the rise of peer-to-peer file sharing, the escalation of a full-fledged copyright war, the filing of lawsuits against thousands of individuals, and the June 2005 Supreme Court decision in the Grokster case.Jessica Litman (Ann Arbor, MI) is professor of law at Wayne State University and a widely recognized expert on copyright law.