‘Slow and steady wins the race…’ An international partnership licensing update from Middlesex University’
Illustration by Mrs josephine alvarez from Las Vagas
Helen Matthews
Transnational Library Liaison Manager
© Middlesex University
Transnational Library Liaison Manager’s Role
• Integrated library support for Transnational Education (TNE)
• Overseas campus librarians
• UK/overseas partners (Joint/Franchised/Validated),
• Ensuring access to the resources required.
• Negotiate with publishers for access to extend existing e-resource subs
• Seek to influence publishers with the help of national bodies such as JISC
• Streamline processes and costs through publishers and providers
• Promote services and manage expectations of partners
• Consistent approach to selection, provision/management of e-resources across all stakeholders, observing copyright /licence restrictions
• Collection and management of data relating to services and partners e.g. e-resource access rights, costs, usage stats. extended licences
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© Middlesex University
• UK core FTE 17,500 (including distance learners)
• Overseas campuses (students recruited by campus; enrolled in UK):
• Dubai 2500
• Mauritius 800
• Malta 200
— Now reported in HESA statistics as ‘Aggregate Offshore’
• 100+ Partnership Institutions
• 30 Overseas
• 14,000 collaborative students
Middlesex student numbers & overseas presence
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QAA Chapter B10 Guidance on Partnerships
“The fundamental principle underpinning all arrangements for
delivering learning opportunities with others is that the degree-
awarding body has ultimate responsibility for academic standards and
the quality of learning opportunities, regardless of where these
opportunities are delivered and who provides them.”
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/uk-quality-code-for-higher-education-
chapter-b10-managing-higher-education-provision-with-others1#.VrsqHE8Xu3Y
© Middlesex University
Type Definition
Joint A University programme and qualification, jointly designed, delivered
and assessed by the University and Partner and quality assured by the
University. Programme and student information are on Student
Management System
Validated A programme developed, delivered and assessed by a Partner and
awarded/ quality assured by the University.
Franchised A University programme and qualification, or part thereof, designed
assessed and quality assured by the University but delivered at and by
a partner. Programme and student information are on Student
Management System .
Main categories of collaborative programme at MDX
© Middlesex University
• Copyright and E-Resource Licence co-ordinators not consulted during campus and partnership negotiations and set up
• Promises sharing resources made erroneously as negotiators unaware of issues or using as marketing tool.
• Partnership organisations
• Don’t understand what they have agreed to
• Expect to receive access to resources they are not entitled to.
• Licence co-ordinators and publishers now more ‘clued up’ on who is and is not entitled to be included in a licence
• HESA Overseas student reporting procedures changed along the way - Students no longer included in main body, nor captured by the licenses relying on these figures.
Not unique to Middlesex…?
© Middlesex University
Licensing challenges
Common questions asked by publishers/providers:
• How was the campus set up – independently or in collaboration with local partner?
• Who recruits the students (Home institution or partner?) and where are they registered?
• Total number of students at partner institution i.e. % our students represent?
• Number of staff at partner? Who employs the staff?
• Who owns what? i.e. buildings, servers, resources
• Location of partnership: Country & address
• Library licence co-ordinators do not see partnership agreements
• Does publisher supply database and/or any other resources to partner?
• Will they have separate authenticated access to content from UK/home students?
• Wording of licences can be unclear
• JISC Decision Tool – Time/difficulty gathering data about partners (even campuses), then lack of clarity of where Tool answers lead
• Providers’ inconsistent approach to determine ‘authorised user’ status
• Managing access – admin and tech, usage statistics
© Middlesex University
Process of extending access to campuses
• Share eResource to Proquest (SerialsSolutions) ‘Consortium edition’ (resource permission set)
• Arrange authentication; Open Athens, Shibboleth, EZproxy
• Need to identify the staff and students at partnerships
• Create bespoke Libguides and branded SS Summon/e-journals pages, bespoke catalogue interface/Book Suggestion Form etc.
• Different process for franchises
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© Middlesex University
Dubai Discovery Platform
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© Middlesex University
Dubai catalogue
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© Middlesex University
Providing resources to franchises
• Promised resources Hendon students access
• Identify specific partnership resource needs. Only relevant publishers contacted – ongoing process
• Still a variety of questions asked by publishers and lack of understanding relating to definitions of partnerships
• Once agreed, subs embedded for subsequent renewals
• 2015 Report written to ‘manage resources’
• Growing acceptance by University that partnerships cannot access everything
• Libguides created for each partnership
• Permission groups set up in Athens/Shibboleth/ezproxy
• Chipping away, little by little…
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© Middlesex University
Partner support and complying with licences
• 2010 project to identify/extend licenses to overseas campuses:
• Access allowed to UK registered students anywhere (majority)
• Additional payment required, dependent on numbers (few)
• No to certain countries and some subjects such as Film, Sound & Broadcast
• 2014 Purchased Proquest Discovery Service ‘Consortium Edition’
• Allocates resources to campuses/controls Summon links
• Not authentication
• 2015 Bespoke ‘portlets’ developed for overseas campus libraries with bespoke lists of resources and catalogue interfaces.
• 2015 Project looking at resources for franchises
• 2015 Met with JISC to discuss challenges of extending access
• 2016 LibGuides for franchises
• Paid for access
• Managing access
• Recognition that we need to ‘manage’ the franchised offering.
© Middlesex University
Future Solutions
• Concentrating on actual partner needs first and advocacy - to continue reinforcing message internally
• Explore licensing with JISC Collections and eduserv
• LIS-PERL - Librarians to collaborate to seek solutions and share best practice
© Middlesex University
Helen Matthews
Transnational Library Liaison Manager