Library Support for Collaborative Provision and TNE
The Library provides information resources to support the learning, teaching and research needs of staff
and students at the University of Salford.
Printed materials are purchased on behalf of the university and may be used by anyone with access to
the library. This includes staff and students of the university, and with some restrictions, staff and
students at other universities who are eligible through one of a number of access schemes, alumni and
members of the local community.
The majority of electronic information resources are licensed from publishers. The standard electronic
resource license permits use by staff and students of the University of Salford from within the UK. It
usually does not permit use by staff and students on affiliated or franchised programmes, delivered with
or by partner institutions, from multiple sites and may include restrictions on access from outside the
UK. For example, electronic resource licenses may include:

Geographical licensing restrictions that limit access to staff and students outside the UK;

A requirement to purchase a Multisite License where provision is based in more than one city,
county, or country or where it is delivered online;

License clauses that specify who can access a resource, from where and under what conditions
and which are not always aligned with the definitions of staff and students used by the
University of Salford;

New pricing models that impose additional costs for online programmes, for programmes based
outside of the UK and programmes delivered with partner institutions.
Where electronic resource licenses include restrictions such as these the library will attempt to
negotiate new or extended licenses to enable the use of resources for online and collaborative
provision.
The library will work with programme teams to ensure that appropriate library resources are available.
However, as this can take some considerable time, will incur additional costs and as some publishers will
not extend e-resources licenses for collaborative provision, it is critical that Programme Teams engage
with the library as early as possible in the process.
The remainder of this document provides guidance for programme teams who need to organise access
to electronic resources for online and collaborative provision.
Access to electronic resources and online and collaborative provision
This guide is aimed at programme teams who are considering developing online and collaborative
provision and is intended to introduce them issues around providing access to library electronic
resources.
Is access to University of Salford library resources required?
When developing a proposed collaboration you should establish as early as possible who is going to
provide library services and resources to support the programme. Is it the University of Salford Library
that will support the programme or is it the library at the collaborative partner?
If it is the collaborative partner, please indicate this on the Collaborative Approval form. If access is not
required and the partner is providing library support no further information is required. Library
provision will be assessed as part of the visit to the institution. The Library can provide a checklist to
help you assess provision at the partner institution.
Is my programme covered by existing license agreements?
We need to determine whether access by students is covered by our existing licence agreements. Your
answers to the following questions will help us to determine this:
1. Does the University of Salford have at least an equal or majority share in the ownership of the
partner institution?
2. Are the additional student numbers (FTEs) included in the University of Salford’s HESA return?
3. Is at least 50% of the revenue from the programmes concerned also declared in the University
of Salford’s financial return?
4. Is the partner institution separate from the University of Salford but the students concerned are
also treated as students of the University of Salford? i.e. rights to other resources/services?
5. Can you confirm that the partner institution does NOT also purchase e-resources specifically for
this course/ programme as a separate licensed entity in its own right? (e.g. the partner may
purchase the same content for their own students)
6. Are the additional student numbers on these programmes below 2,000? (please specify the
numbers of students and staff on the programmes concerned)
7. Where will the programme be taught – UK, abroad, online?
8. If the programme is delivered online will any of the students be based overseas?
If you answer yes to question 2, 3 and 4 then your programme will, with some exceptions, be covered by
our existing license agreements. If you answer no to questions 2, 3 or 4, or if your programme is one of
the exceptions, the library will attempt to negotiate new or extended licenses. There is no guarantee
that these negotiations will be successful and that we will be able to extend our licences and provide
access to library resources to students on these programmes. Elsevier, for example, say that “it is our
policy is that all individuals who have access to content should be enrolled at or employed by the
Institution. If an Institution has a partnership with another institution that does not have a subscription
to our product, we would welcome that other institution as a customer and enter into a direct
subscription agreement with them.”
Please contact the Library as soon as possible so that we can confirm whether or not your programme is
covered by our existing license agreements.
What happens if my programme is not covered by existing license agreements?
If your answers to the questions above indicate that your programme is not covered by our existing
license agreements, the library will need to negotiate new or extended licenses.
Programmes not covered by existing license agreements generally fall into one of the following three
categories:
1. Students are categorised as ‘Salford students’ but are not covered by existing license
agreements which will need to be extended at additional cost, e.g.
a. Resource cost is based on the student FTE numbers. If the new programme increases
the number of students using the resource, the cost of providing access to the resource
goes up;
b. The resource is licensed for use in the UK only. Providing access for students on distance
learning programme who are based outside the UK will increase the cost of the
resource;
2. Students will be classified as a partner of the University and added on to the main licence - this
extension to the licence will incur additional cost;
3. Students will be classified as a separate institution for licensing purposes and new licenses will
need to be negotiated to cover proposed use.
If your programme falls into categories 1 and 2 the Library will require details of the specific resources
required for your programme e.g. books, journals, databases. The library will negotiate with publishers
to extend licenses to these resources. We will not be able to provide details of the costs involved until
these negotiations are completed. The Library will only be able to provide a qualified agreement to
support a programme until we know whether publishers will extend license agreements to cover the
proposed use, have a fuller understanding of the costs involved and agreement that funding will be
provided to meet them. As noted above, there is no guarantee that these negotiations will be successful
and that we will be able to provide access to electronic resources.
If your programme falls into category 3 it is unlikely that will be able to provide access to electronic
resources. We can try to negotiate a license but we have had very limited success negotiating on behalf
of a ‘separate institution’ as publishers prefer to deal with them directly.
How will any additional costs be met?
The library is unable to meet the cost of purchasing new or extended licenses from its core budget. The
cost of purchasing new or extended resources will need to be included in the programme development
costs or the library can bid for the additional funds required in its annual budget submission. New or
extended licenses will only be purchased if funds are provided as part of the programme development
process or if the annual budget submission is approved.
How will students on my programme be provided with access to electronic resources?
Students need to be registered with the university and have an ITS/network username and access
before they can be provided access to electronic resources. The Library tracks which programmes are
allowed to access which set of resources; creates groups in Athens for each set of resources and assign
students to the appropriate group for their programme. This ensures that students can only access the
resources they are permitted to use and that the University complies with it license agreements.
Why is it important that we comply with electronic resource licenses agreements?
If we fail to comply with our license agreements a publisher will suspend or remove access for all
University of Salford staff and students.
Who should I contact about access to library electronic resources and online and
collaborative provision?
If you have a question about access to library electronic resources and online and collaborative
provision please contact our Collections Manager, Regina Ferguson. Her telephone number is
0161 295 6226 and her e-mail address is r.ferguson@salford.ac.uk.