An International Partnership Licensing Update from Middlesex University - Helen Matthews

‘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

Presentation title | 2


• 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

© Middlesex University Presentation title | 4

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

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/uk-quality-code-for-higher-education-chapter-b10-managing-higher-education-provision-with-others1#.VrsqHE8Xu3Y


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


• 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…?


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


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




Dubai Discovery Platform



Dubai catalogue



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…




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.


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


Helen Matthews

Transnational Library Liaison Manager

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]