Licensing of Electronic Periodicals in Academic Libraries

Periodical literature is a major source of information, particularly in the college and university libraries. Developments in information and communication technologies have changed the scholarly communication process. Due to the availability of electronic journals, many libraries changed their journal subscription preferences from print to electronic only or electronic plus print versions. Although, electronic journals have advantages, they are not tangible, and hence, cannot be acquired as a physical entity. This has led to change in subscription practices among libraries and publishers. Unlike a print journal, only the access to electronic journals is acquired through a license. As the electronic periodicals are here to stay, so is its license agreement. This paper attempts to explain the license agreement for accessing electronic journals, providing the definition, need and discussing the contents in the license. This may be useful to the library professionals planning to subscribe the electronic periodicals.