While published by the ALA, this book has been included in the JALIA reviews as it covers international topics of digital literacy, not just the US. It encompasses the entire process of organising and negotiating digital licences so it is directly relevant to Australian and New Zealand audiences.
The audience focus is on the licensee, but it does include ‘publishers, vendors, aggregators and content owners’ as well as libraries, ‘archives, museums, governments, educational institutions and corporations’. All roles involved in the licensing process are explained. It is recommended to read all the preliminary pages carefully as this will ensure the reader obtains the best value out of the book as a whole. At the end of these pages immediately before the first chapter is a useful checklist of tips for organising a digital licence.
Regarding the entire process of digital licensing, the author puts any apprehensions at ease by exploring and explaining all the issues in plain English in a user-friendly manner. The key question of when to licence and how to organise it is covered in the first two chapters. The steps to creating a licensing policy are in Chapter two. Explaining and clarifying terminology is a key focus throughout this book – for example, the distinction between model licences and industry standard licences is clearly explained in chapter one. Chapter three is purely on terminology. The glossary at the back has easily understood definitions.
Two chapters are entirely devoted to clauses. This is particularly important for Australian and New Zealand audiences to understand the legalities of the US electronic publishing market. The key clauses can be incorporated by international audiences in country-specific digital licences. Chapter seven is purely on frequently asked questions which cover all the aspects of licensing.
The specific process of negotiating licences is explored in depth in a reassuring tone in chapter six. The author literally takes us by the hand and walks us through it all, from planning and preparation for the meetings to clarification of issues, prevention of misunderstandings and renewals. There is a list of negotiating tips at the end of this chapter. The final chapter discusses how to manage the actual licence once in place. There is a holistic list of duties that the librarian or department may perform in this area.
The author’s experience in the field of digital licensing and the ability to translate it into readable and useable actions for the audience to follow up on are second to none. This book is a valuable and useful resource for the topic of digital licensing.