Library Vendor Negotiations Research

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The Survey

Survey invitation email sent to Data-Planet email subscriber list 4000+ individuals. The Survey was blind questionnaire – no tracking mechanism was used to identify respondents. The data was used to formulate a presentation at the Charleston Conference presented 11-8-2013. The open rate on the survey was >25% (~1020) with 238 completed responses.

Libraries buy products & services from thousands of vendors. Vendors are organized and focused on product sales & financial objectives. Library Budgets are severely constrained. More efficiency in the buying process may result in greater latitude within current budgets.

Project Overview

Background Information

Library Professional Counts Are Flat or Shrinking

Citation: National Center for Education Statistics (2012). Academic Library Statistics: United States, 1990-2010: Staff Count - Librarians and Other Professional Staff | Country: USA – [Data-file]. Retrieved from Data-Planet by Conquest Systems, Inc., www.data-planet.com. Dataset-ID: 017-015-004. DOI: 10.6068/DP1425345BB002

Total Library Expenditures Have Flattened

Citation: National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Academic Library Statistics: United States , 1990-2010: Total Expenditures | Country: USA – [Data-file]. Retrieved from Data-Planet by Conquest Systems, Inc., www.data-planet.com. Dataset-ID: 017-015-024. DOI: 10.6068/DP1425356F2E54

But Product Expenditures Are Increasing

Citation: National Center for Education Statistics (2012). Academic Library Statistics: United States, 1990-2010: Expenditures for Electronic Books, Serial Backfiles and Other Materials | Country: USA – [Data-file]. Retrieved from Data-Planet by Conquest Systems, Inc., www.data-panet.com. Dataset-ID: 017-015-014. DOI: 10.6068/DP142535D473A5

eBooks

But Product Expenditures are Increasing Electronic Serials

Citation: National Center for Education Statistics. Academic Library Statistics: United States: Expenditures for Electronic Serials | Country: USA – [Data-file], Retrieved from Data-Planet by Conquest Systems, Inc. , www.data-planet.com . Dataset-ID: 017-015-017. DOI: 10.6068/DP1425363B0566

So, budgets are getting pounded….

The Survey: Type of Organization

The Survey: What Is Your Position in the Organization?

The Survey: How Large is Your Organization?

The Survey: How Many Vendors Contact You?

67%

The Survey: Committee vs. Sole Decision Makers?

85% Committee

The Survey: Specialized Licensing Position?

Do you have a specialized licensing position at your organization that handles actual contract terms and conditions for acquisition of content, technology or services?

The Survey: Internal Negotiations?

The Survey: Negotiation Training Frequency

The Survey: Documented Process?

Do you have a documented negotiation process for the acquisition of products or services?

No

Yes

192 / 81%

44 / 19%

Comments Selected Comments from the Survey

“I work with vendors to do preliminary negotiations, but the final License terms must be approved by the University.”

“We don't have a person whose only duty is license negotiations, but I work with the campus legal office to negotiate terms.”

“You should always try and negotiate. Many librarians seem to just take the price they quote as a given…”

“Often need to consult terms with lawyers particularly dealing with waivers of responsibilities or consortia pricing. Faculty are contacted to review whether benefits to accreditation. Other subject specialists are consulted whether beneficial for other academic disciplines.”

“The question about "position in organization" doesn't have an answer that's a good fit for me. I'm the Head of E-Resources & Licensing. Not subject librarian, not senior management. Peer to subject librarians, but different scope of responsibilities.”

Questions?

If you have questions about this survey, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

If you want to cite this presentation, please follow the format below: Dunie, Matt (2013). Library Vendor Negotiations Research [Powerpoint presentation]. Presented at Charleston Conference November 8, 2013. Retrieved from SlideShare web site: http://www.slideshare.net/MattDataPlanet/dunie-vendor-negotiation-research-report

If you have any suggestions for other short questionnaires, send

me a note at:

mdunie@data-planet.com