Licensing for University Library

Thanks to all for the insights and comments. Here are my thoughts as I read through the thread.

1. What makes licensing different for a library than an individual. If a library purchases a book, they can loan it out to one person at a time (because the book can only be physically present in one space at a time). If the same were true in the digital realm, what's the issue? What I propose is having a workstation in the library: only one person can use it at a time, just like a real book.

2. Logos is set up for one user and it may be frustrating to try to have several users competing on the same synced platform, but a) the default layout is decent and b) layouts are easy to save. There would need to be cooperation from the standpoint that you wouldn't want to be deleting other profiles, but I don't think it would be a problem to set up your environment the first 60 seconds you sit down to Logos. One disadvantage to my proposed setup is that you couldn't extract data you enter into Logos (but based on the way people have recommended I use Notes, that seems like that's an issue for just about everyone). Yes, it would be a mostly read-only kind of setup, but is that any different than a physical system? You still get the advantage of the Logos system in terms of research, indexing, etc.

3. Piracy can be a problem with or without a shared system in a library. If someone wants to be dishonest and rip off Logos, they'll find a way without a shared workstation. And I don't think it would be terribly difficult to lock the computer down so that it would be difficult for all except Computer Science majors (at a Bible College?!--yes I know they exist) to extract the software.

4. According to accreditation boards, schools are supposed to provide required resources without requiring students to purchase them. The school in question fails in that regard, and they're thinking through how to remedy that. This is why I am thinking of Logos. It seems like it would be a better solution than a purely physical one. So yes, it would be great (for the students and Logos) if they all bought Logos with their academic discounts, but the reality is that they won't all be able to afford to. This is why you would put the system in the library. And for those who mentioned the fear of loss of sales, I am convinced that the opposite would be true. I think exposure to and real use of Logos throughout a school career would drive students to purchase it when they (or their ministry) can afford to do so. This is the model Microsoft uses (Bob Pritchett, you should know this!). They give away copies of Windows and Microsoft Development tools to CS students and departments in the hopes that they purchase them once out of school.

So it sounds like the answer to my first question is, "no, Logos cannot currently do that." However, I would strongly encourage them to pursue this. It would be another revenue source (schools across the country/world purchasing licences, probably in the Scholars to Portfolio range). Students would have hands-on exposure to a great Bible platform, and I really believe they would feel encourage to purchase their own copy. Schools would have an opportunity to drive education to the next level by teaching modern research methods.

Bill

alabama24 said:

Your opinion and mine are irrelevant. Legal agreements between Logos and the publisher is what is important. Many publishers would strongly disagree with this position. In fact, according to the librarian, my local library has recently had to revoke ebook "rentals" because it broke licensing agreements.

I understand, and I'm encouraging Logos to pursue that kind of licensing. 

Publishers used to hate libraries (maybe still do) and tried to legally stop them from loaning out books. The courts upheld the libraries' rights. I'm not sure digital rights have been tested so well in court yet. There are an awful lot of similarities/analogies (which courts seem to love) between loaning physical books and one-at-a-time digital license user. Loaning eBooks is not quite the same as a digital copy gets produced with every loan. We'll probably have to wait a few decades, unfortunately, but my hope is that libraries and users retain the same kinds of rights in the digital realm that have been upheld in the physical realm.

alabama24 said:

I am not sure what the issues are involved with the school in question, but I can assure you that this statement is an oversimplification. If this is true, I want a refund for all the textbooks I bought over the years!

I've been to two different schools in my education career for undergrad and masters. They both had all required text books in the library. However, they were usually checked out the entire term. They were probably available at your school and you simply didn't know it. Did you actually look into where else your books might be available?

I always bought my books, but both schools had required texts "available" for those who couldn't (or wouldn't?) purchase their books. Practically all students purchase the books required because it's far more convenient and not as risky for the timing of assignments and test taking.

It's not a make-it-or-break-it requirement, as the school has a type of accreditation. But it does factor in. Schools get graded on a variety of student services, and book availability is one of them (as is spending a certain percentage of your budget on your library). They're looking to improve their accreditation rating to achieve the highest/regional accreditation (guarantees credit transfer).

BTW, almost all statements on an internet forum are going to be an oversimplification. We're not here to write dissertations. That doesn't mean the statements aren't true or can be dismissed because they're simplified.

alabama24 said:

I agree with you that it would be a great thing, but I stress that it is much more complicated that you (or I) understand. I know that my university spends tens of thousands of dollars each year for access to electronic journals. If Logos were to do something like this, I would imagine that it would be a very different licensing agreement than what you and I have with Logos. And much more expensive.

Sure, and I'm positive that schools would be willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on Logos licensing too*. But electronic journals are constantly publishing too. It's like having a subscription to a physical journal where you receive and file the issues. I have to keep paying to keep getting magazines. Most Logos licenses are for books, where it's published once and paid for once. I see they offer some kind of magazine/journal subscription, though for most it seems like it's back issues (like Themelios), which fits the book model more closely.

Certainly they could develop this model for PD and Logos works. Though I know that schools would want current works (e.g the IVP Ref Collection I mentioned, Grudem's Systematic Theology, etc.), and perhaps those books can roll in over time.

*That's another reason that should be encouraging them to pursue this model.

This is mostly in response to fgh, but I'm too lazy to quote.

The prioritization one is a good point. Logos would have to put some effort into multi-user profiles (I'm guessing for a special education version then, since they wouldn't want people trying to share generally). I wonder how much of those settings would be "wrong" though, for students at the same school taking the same progression of classes...they're probably mostly using the same Bible version, same dictionaries and lexicons.

The library would probably have to spend a few minutes every year clearing out old settings. It wouldn't have to grow indefinitely.

In terms of Logos not being easy to learn, I have a couple of points for that. First, it's not too bad to get started on right away. You won't be the most efficient user of it by default, but if you type your passage or topic into the search box on the home page, you're off to a great start. I would argue you're off to a faster start than trying to find the books in the library. Second, that's part of the reason the school gets Logos. Students learn to use a modern research tool. Students are typically expected to learn the tools of their trade as a part of their education (e.g. I never had a class on "how to get your code to compile" for my CS undergrad--I had to learn on my own, and it was not painless).

And finally, I'm not saying that every library only gets one computer. You purchase the number of computers you need. Most people will do what alabama24 and I did: buy your own resources (Logos or hard copies of books). Maybe you need a computer lab full of Logos workstations. I think that would be a good investment. My grad program had its own computer lab (even though students could buy or download all the software they needed), and it was often full. If you need a computer and it's being used, I guess you wait or come back. That happens in real life now, and a good library will gauge need appropriately.