1. Strategic Content Negotiation for the Small Library
Presenter: Sophia Guevara, Research Librarian, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Introduction
With shrinking budgets, today's information professionals are pressed to make tough decisions
when it comes to what resources they can afford to keep within their library collections. In
order to make the most of one's budget, librarians need to understand what key questions,
tools and data they need to bring with them to the negotiating table. By being strategic while
negotiating with vendors, the information professional can improve the value they receive for
their budget dollars.
Preparing for the negotiation
Knowledge and Tasks
Connect with your users.
Develop a list of questions to ask the vendor.
Understand your library’s content and the format in which it is delivered.
If the resource is electronic, connect with your IT department to see what the technological
limitations are.
Have a good understanding of what you must walk away with and what you are willing to do
without.
Identify alternative products and vendors when possible to give you a better bargaining
advantage at the table.
Understand the digital content life cycle: discovery, trial, analysis, selection, acquisition,
deployment, promotion, usage study, continuation & alignment.
Questions to Ask
What is the interest level in this resource?
If the product is fee-based, what is your budget?
What are the expectations of your library’s users?
Is there a trial available and if so, how is use counted?
How often has it been suggested as an addition by your users?
Is there a state library consortium that can provide your library with discounts?
Is the content you are seeking to add already delivered by other resources in your current
collection?
If there are multiple sources for this content, what is the best way to provide the content to
your users?
While the provider may provide you with a special deal for the first year, will you get a shocking
renewal bill next year?

2. Negotiation
Knowledge and Tasks
Keep your trial statistics with you.
Take your ego out of the equation.
Have information about the product with you.
Provide the final negotiated contract to your legal department for review.
Have a copy of the license with you along with other communications sent between you and
the vendor.
Understand that when a cash discount is unavailable, the vendor may be open to providing you
with non-monetary incentives to close the deal.
Questions to Ask
Are your print and digital subscriptions tied?
If you choose to cancel the print subscription, will this affect your digital subscription?
Must access to the content be bought as part of a package or can it be individually purchased?
Is there an option to purchase resources as a bundled packaged to negotiate a volume
discount?
Is it possible to negotiate a multi-year agreement that will save you and the vendor time and
money?
Is the vendor willing to add a trial of a new product or other throw-ins when a cash discount is
unavailable?
For vendor protective clauses, are they willing to reword the clause so that protection is
extended to both parties?
Is the vendor willing to limit damages to the amount of the contract if your organization runs
afoul (not deliberate)?
Is the access/pricing model something that will work for your library and users? If not, is the
vendor willing to work with you?
Will the provider agree to provide perpetual access to content already subscribed to even if a
decision is made to end the subscription in the future?

3. After the negotiation
Knowledge and Tasks
Study your usage.
Create a podcast advertising the new addition.
Create a screencast to educate users on how to use the resource.
Promote the content via your Library 2.0 sites, library website, newsletters, and handouts at
the desk.
Cultivate the relationship with the vendor and stay in regular contact with them—not just for
problem resolution.
Questions to Ask
How is use counted?
Does the content have a high cost-per-use ratio?
Were you successful in making the content cross the user’s information-seeking path?
If the usage has dropped but the fee has increased, how do you work with the provider in this
case?
How frequently did users experience problems accessing the content and how effectively did
the provider respond?
For subscription rate increases, have the provider explain how the increase is providing
additional value to your users.
Since your decided to acquire the content, have other options become available for delivering
similar content to your users in a more effective or efficient way?