Library Licensing: A Manual for Busy Librarians. By Corey Halaychik and Blake ReaganSanta Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2020. 170 pages. $65.00 softcover (ISBN: 9781440870767).

One of the many challenges librarians face is reviewing and negotiating licensing agreements. Halaychik and Reagan discuss these challenges in Library Licensing: A Manual for Busy Librarians. The scope of this book is much broader than the title seems to indicate, covering not only license-related topics regarding electronic resources in its six chapters, but also information on contract management software, Integrated Library Systems (ILS) and maintenance, and services agreements. For this reason, the book can feel unfocused at times. Chapter 1 briefly introduces basic information about contracts, while chapters 2 through 6 give a broad overview of the mechanics of a contract (including common clauses within contracts) and information concerning organizing, managing, and administering contracts, with examples of checklists and contracts in chapter 5 and subsequent appendixes.

This book has two stated objectives for its readers: one, that they will be able to “strengthen your understanding of common contract clauses and issues” and two, “provide you with a starting point to create internal guidelines for your organizations—a ‘contract manual’, so to speak” (1). Both of these objectives are valuable and worthwhile for librarians trying to navigate contracts and licensing. While the book’s organization may prove to be slightly challenging, in part due to its broad scope, both objectives are met within the book.

Chapters 4, 5, and appendix A are the most valuable portions of the text, especially to librarians who are new to licensing. These chapters give a descriptive analysis of the processes associated with administering and managing contracts, along with examples of language that can be used in contract negotiations. Appendix A offers a sample checklist of what should be included in the licensing agreements. The appendixes also include examples of master agreements and standard licensing agreements, though not all the examples given appear pertinent to library-related services. For example, it is hard to see how a license for “Appendix E: Sample Master Lease for Students” (151) relates to services offered by or for the library and for licensing librarians. The quality of advice among the different steps is also uneven at times.

A key problem to note is that the editor for Libraries Unlimited did not do their due diligence in editing the book. For example, in chapter 2, “Contract Language,” the focus of the chapter is “to provide information and recommendations for numerous types of contract clauses” (10). The first four pages after the chapter introduction, however, go into great detail about contract maintenance software and ILS, which is what the authors said they would not treat in great detail. That content is not unimportant, but it is difficult to see how it fits organizationally into a chapter on contract language. Another example is how the text abruptly moves from service and maintenance agreements in the first two chapters, to electronic resource contracts, in the third chapter, “Organizing Contracts,” the latter entailing a plethora of terms and conditions and contract clauses quite different from the previously discussed contracts. The interweaving of contractual language in chapter 3 is confusing to understand. It seems that the information could have been collated differently into chapters regarding service and maintenance agreement clauses and another chapter on electronic resource license agreement clauses. Having both types of agreements discussed together creates confusion, especially for those new to the process, which is the intended audience of the book.

One of the book’s strengths is that the co-authors are from diverse backgrounds: Halaychik, a librarian who manages the licensing process at his library, has collaborated with a legal and procurement expert, Reagan. Both authors have dealt with contracts and licensing in their respective positions. Having a procurement officer’s perspective offers a unique perspective to the literature that librarians may not have considered. Another strength is the examples of wording one could use in the license negotiations with vendors in chapters 3 and 5. Despite this strength, the authors often refer to other books and resources because the scope of the book is so much larger than can be addressed in one volume. This makes it difficult for the reader to decide to continue to read this book or to refer to the other sources, a puzzling decision since this book is purportedly intended for busy librarians.

The intended audience for this book is those beginning or new to the licensing process or those struggling to understand common issues in contract language. It is also intended for those who are too busy to read standard licensing materials. Despite its organizational flaws, this book provides valuable content for its intended audience.—Kristy White (whitek9@duq.edu), Duquesne University