Managing Licenses

Once a license agreement has been signed, the focus then shifts to implementing and managing that license to ensure continued access and compliance with the outlined terms and conditions. Several questions arise:

Activation

How do you activate licensed e-resources to ensure end user access?

Compliance

Who will be responsible for oversight to comply with licensing terms?

Management

How will you approach license management based on your institution’s organizational structure? 

Termination

What steps are involved in ending a license and terminating access?

Understanding these issues and approaching them in a strategic manner is key to effectively stewarding your licensed digital collections. The resources in this section outline key concepts and practices for sustaining access and effectively managing licenses post-acquisition.

▶️ Managing and Implementing License Agreements (Parts 1 & 2), ALCTS - 2018

  • This webinar series explores numerous aspects of the e-resource acquisition and management workflow. Part 1 focuses on licensing and administration workflows, while Part 2 offers perspectives on acquisitions and procurement, comparing these priorities and workflows with that of broader collection development efforts.

📗 Chapters 5-10 - Managing Licensed E-Resources: Techniques, Tips, and Practical Advice, edited by Galadriel Chilton - 2022

  • This resource covers many unique topics within e-resource management, including:
    • Implementing authentication, authorization, and other access controls (Chapter 5)
    • E-resource maintenance practices, including several workflows and recommendations for common procedures (Chapter 6)
    • Resource reviews and data driven decision making (Chapter 7)
    • Cancelling e-resource access (Chapter 8)
    • Communications strategies for supporting e-resources staff (Chapter 9)
    • Trends, challenges, and opportunities in e-resources management (Chapter 10)

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This toolkit is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 License.