The licensing battlefield: consortia as new middlemen between publishers, agents and libraries – a view from the Continent

Based on a presentation given at the 2007 ASA Conference: ‘Policy, Pricing and Purchasing’ Consortia are everywhere nowadays. Every country and every region is now covered by at least one consortium. International co-operation is taking off as well, both formally and informally. Nevertheless there is a wide variation in the nature and size of consortia. One of the most distinguishing features is the role that national governments are assigning to themselves. Consortia are vulnerable to conflicts of interests that are more likely to occur when a government’s role is weak.The article deals with pricing issues that haunt the minds of librarians.The mixed feelings of librarians about usage-based pricing schemes are explained. An alternative business model is outlined that allows for differentiation and transparency in the pricing of digital products and that restores flexibility in purchasing decisions for libraries.