Electronic subscriptions

Abstract

A subscription is an implied contract between a publisher and a subscriber for the delivery of published information for a fee. Whether we are dealing with paper-based or electronic subscriptions, the concept remains the same. With paper-based subscriptions, the subscriber (here, the library) receives, houses, and provides access to the printed work. The publisher (or author in some cases) retains ownership of the copyrighted material; the library owns the package. With an electronic subscription, the packaging is stripped away. The publisher still maintains ownership of the copyrighted material and provides access to this material through a licensing agreement and some type of electronic delivery system. The discussion in this paper will center around the development of electronic subscriptions (license agreements) and will attempt to show some similarities between these agreements and paper-based subscription models. © 1991 by The Haworth Press, Inc.