244 kane presentation

An Introduction to SERU: A Participating Publisher’s Perspective

Lauren Kane, Director of Publisher Relations, BioOneSSP Fall Education Seminar on Pricing and Licensing

November 14, 2007

SSP Fall Education Seminar on Pricing and LicensingNovember 14, 2007

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are needed to see this picture. Agenda

1. What is SERU?

2. Why SERU? Joining the Pilot Program

3. Progress and Feedback

4. Lessons and Recommendations

5. Questions



are needed to see this picture.

What is SERU?



are needed to see this picture. What is SERU?

SERU = Shared Electronic Resource Understanding

• Pilot program sponsored by NISO and endorsed by ARL for use by publishers, libraries, and consortia

• Goal of replacing traditional license and accompanying negotiations with a “framework of shared understanding and good faith”

• Designed to reduce processing costs and remove transactional barriers to access

The average number of serials held by an ARL library is over 40,000, with roughly 20%—over 8,000 titles—

requiring individually negotiated licenses.




A Best-Practices Approach to Licensing

• Sections of SERU describe and outline community agreement on authorized users, acceptable and inappropriate use, confidentiality, service expectations, archiving, and perpetual access

• Avoids legal terminology and definitions• Does not limit or dictate the economics of the

subscription transaction, should accompany purchase order

• Not amendable or negotiable by individual parties• Not meant to be copied or signed like a license• Not suitable for all transactions or organizations




Current Trial ParticipantsSix month public trial through December 2007

Libraries and ConsortiaPALINETBoston College Columbia UniversityDuke UniversityMichigan State UniversityOhio State UniversityMITNorthwestern UniversityRutgers UniversitySan Diego State UniversityUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel

HillUniversity of WashingtonYale University…and more!

Publishers and Content Providers

BioOneBerg PublishersDuke University PressUniversity of Toronto PressProject EuclidUK Serials Group European Mathematical

SocietyThe Geological SocietyChannel View Publications3princess Publishing




Why SERU? Joining the Pilot Program



are needed to see this picture. Why SERU?

A Natural Partnership

• Organizational focus on standards and collaborative community building; NISO member

• Providing low-cost, high quality access to libraries—while providing participating publishers with sustainable annual revenues—is no easy task.

• Cutting the bottom-line, and the cost of sales in particular, is critical to the financial health of any not-for-profit organization.

• Endorsement from BioOne’s LAG, ARL, and Amigos Library Services



are needed to see this picture. Why SERU?

Armed with the support of our community and a clear alignment with our organizational mission, the question was not, Why SERU? but rather, Why not!

“SERU’s best practices approach to subscription transactions reduces costs for

both publishers and libraries, and, in doing go, fits perfectly into BioOne’s mission and market

niche.”




Progress and Feedback



are needed to see this picture. Progress and Feedback

Immediate community endorsement• BioOne announced participation in SERU Pilot on

July 30, 2007 • Instant positive feedback from library community:

"I can't begin to tell you how delighted I am that you [BioOne] have joined the SERU pilot program. As a former serials librarian and now one who negotiates and signs the licenses, I think the SERU project is perhaps one of the most timely and important developments that have happened in serials/electronic content licensing.”

- Anne McKee, MLS 7/30/07



are needed to see this picture. Progress and Feedback

Immediate community endorsement…but, not so immediate take-up

• Offered as option on all new domestic sales • Numerous requests for information and overall very positive reception• Potential for use in a few sales by end of year; expect more in coming year• Endorsement of using SERU or similar program adoption internationally




Lessons and Recommendations



are needed to see this picture. Lessons & Recommendations

Lessons Learned• Traditional subscription licenses—even those from

a not-for-profit organization—can necessitate lengthy and costly negotiations

• Complex license negotiations delay researcher access to timely scholarly content

• The subscription economy need NOT be adversarial—the scholarly community is ready for a collegial best-practices approach built on trust and common goals

• SERU not only decreases the cost of sales but assists in critical bridge-building between the publisher and library communities



are needed to see this picture. Lessons & Recommendations

Recommendations• Publishers and Content Providers: Offer SERU as a

welcome alternative to your traditional license, examining and controlling for existing barriers

• Libraries and Consortia: Request if SERU is available any time you make a new content purchase

• Educate fellow community members on the benefits of SERU and other standards-based programs

• Assist with SERU’s further development by providing feedback on what’s working and what’s not




Questions?

Thank you!Lauren Kane

Director of Publisher Relations, [email protected]

244 kane presentation

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