Introduction
The NCSU Libraries provides electronic access to a wealth
of information such as published works and research materials for the
benefit of its academic community. Access to most, if not all, of these
electronic resources is accomplished pursuant to licensing agreements
between the university and the vendor offering the resource. That is
to say, the Libraries often does not acquire physical ownership of the
electronic resource as is true for paper books or journals. Instead,
the Libraries only acquires access to and limited use of the resource
and only under the particular terms and conditions contained in the
license.
The licensing process is inherently more lengthy and complex
than the outright purchase of more traitional library materials. Additionally,
the licensing process is also subject to state and university contract
and purchasing procedures and guidelines.
This licensing overview explains the process involved
in licensing access to electronic resources at the NCSU Libraries.