National site licensing and consortia purchasing

Abstract

National site licences appear to bring many advantages to a complex field. However, the way the scheme is set up and administered is vital to the long‐term success of this concept. As currently conceived in the UK (NESLI) the National Site Licence could have some unintended side‐effects to the detriment of libraries, publishers and agents. The problem stems from combining the three functions of the consortium (negotiation, access and purchasing) in a single body, the Managing Agent. This can create a monopolistic situation for the future, which may be undesirable from a number of standpoints. Some solutions are suggested on how to achieve the benefits of National Site Licences without these drawbacks.