The document discusses SERU (Shared Electronic Resource Understanding), a NISO initiative to reduce transaction costs for e-resource licensing by establishing mutual understandings between libraries and publishers instead of requiring formal license agreements. It provides background on the development of SERU, including discussion forums that helped inspire the idea. A working group was formed to draft initial SERU statements addressing topics like subscriptions, appropriate use, and archival access. A pilot period was launched in June 2007 to test SERU, with the goal of formalizing it through NISO in 2008. SERU aims to simplify small transactions while not replacing all license agreements.

1. One size fits all - Not!
The SERU approach to
e-resource licensing
SSP Annual Meeting June 2007
Karla Hahn
NISO SERU Working Group
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2. The world today
 More than a decade of shared experience
with e-resource licensing
 An existing body of contract and copyright
law
 High level on trust based on amicable
resolution of problems
 Lack of scalability apparent for bilateral
license negotiating
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3. SERU Is
Mutual understanding
Libraries and publishers forego a license
agreement and rely on a Shared
Electronic Resources Understanding
(SERU)
 Reduces processing costs
 Removes barriers for smaller publishers or
smaller transactions
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4. SERU Is Not
A replacement for all license agreements
 A standard license agreement
 A license of adhesion
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5. The birth of a new idea
Discussion Forums held at
 Charleston – Fall 2005
 ALA Midwinter 2006
 ERL 1st conference, March 2006
 ALA Summer, June 2006
Result
 Growing list of interested librarians and
publishers
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6. What We Learned
Publishers
 Often believe librarians require licenses
 Face increased costs to handle paperwork
Librarians
 Often have a backlog of licenses even for
products that are paid for and accessible
 Some noted that a few publishers don’t use
license agreements
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7. Can’t we stop the madness?
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8. SERU Development Process
 Engaged organizational partners in 2006
 Legal consultation
 Representative group met in DC in October
 Identified initial areas of common understanding
 NISO launched Working Group in December
 Focus group meetings with stakeholders - ALA Midwinter
 SERU Draft 0.3 – March 2007
 Pilot period for SERU - June 4-Dec. 2007
 Submit SERU for NISO formalization in 2008
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9. Supporting Organizations
Publishers
 ALPSP – Association of Learned and
Professional Society Publishers
 SSP – Society for Scholarly Publishing
Librarians
 ARL - Association of Research Libraries
 SPARC – Scholarly Publishing & Academic
Resources Coalition
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10. Working Group Members
 Ivy Anderson - California Digital Library
 Linda Beebe - American Psychological Association
 Fiona Bennett - Oxford University Press
 Clinton Chamberlain - Trinity University
 Deborah Gerhardt - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries
 Karla Hahn - Association of Research Libraries (Co-Chair)
 Heather Joseph - Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition
 Selden Lamoureux - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries
 Judy Luther - Informed Strategies (Co-Chair)
 Christine Martire - PALINET
 Robert Oakley - Georgetown University Law Center
 Oliver Pesch - EBSCO Information Services
 Zachary Rolnik - Now Publishers, Inc.
 Kimberly Steinle - Duke University Press
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11. How It Works
 SERU statements maintained on NISO
website
 NISO registry lists publishers & libraries
 Partners forego license and rely on shared
understanding
 Purchase order is acquisitions vehicle
 Orders may be placed through vendors
such as serials agents or consortia
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12. Topics of Shared Understanding
 Subscriptions and subscribers
 Appropriate and inappropriate use
 Confidentiality and privacy
 Online performance and service
 Archival and perpetual access
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13. Next Steps
 Draft statements (v 0.9) available
 Pilot launched June 4, 2007
 Formal NISO Review Process in 2008
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14. To learn more
 Visitthe SERU web site at
www.NISO.org/committees/SERU
 Review draft documents
 Sign up for the SERU listserv to be notified of
developments
 Register to participate in the pilot
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