(Fwd) IFLA approves Licensing Principles

[Berke Zsuzsa]

Tisztelt kollegak!
Az IFLA levelezolistarol tovabbitom az alabbi hirt az erdeklodoknek.
Udvozlettel
Berke Barnabasne
Orszagos Szechenyi Konyvtar

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Date sent:              Wed, 2 May 2001 09:51:10 +0200
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<IFLA-L at INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA> From:                   Josche Neven <Josche.Neven at IFLA.NL> Subject:
              IFLA
approves Licensing Principles To:                     IFLA-L at INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA

IFLA approves Licensing Principles

PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release
2 May 2001
IFLA HQ
The Hague, Netherlands


The worldwide marketplace for all types of electronic information resources is developing rapidly a
s publishers and
vendors creating electronic information seek to attract libraries of all types (academic, public, n
ational and special)
as their customers. Today, libraries around the world continue in their role as mediators between u
sers and producers of
information and cultural expression. This role persists even more energetically, it appears, for el
ectronic information
than for print.

The use of electronic information everywhere in the world is usually defined and described by contr
actual agreements,
otherwise known as licenses. These are marketplace arrangements in which a willing information prov
ider and a willing
purchaser of information access come together to make arrangements, deal by deal, resource by resou
rce.

IFLA views the licensing arena positively, although key issues remain to be resolved. In particular
, licensing is
increasingly responsive to the complex business arrangements between information providers and libr
ary consortia of
different types and sizes. IFLA encourages and supports the evolution of all types of libraries neg
otiating as
consortia.

Recently IFLA's Executive and Professional Boards approved a set of Licensing Principles which shou
ld prevail in the
contractual relationship and written contracts between libraries and information providers. Aspects
 that have been
touched upon by these principles include: the law, access, usage and users, and pricing.

Marianne Scott, Chair of the IFLA Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM) which prepar
ed the text of the
Principles, commented: "Licensing is increasing in importance as a means of gaining access to comme
rcially available
digital information. I am pleased that the library community world wide now has a set of principles
 to provide support
and guidance in negotiating these licenses".

 The text of the IFLA Licensing Principles is available on IFLANET at <http://www.ifla.org/V/ebpb/c
opy.htm>