A New Consortial Model

The library world has productively used various consortial models for over 30 years, but until now, there has not been a successful model for building a digital library. One of the missing pieces in the consortial jigsaw puzzle has been a technical model that is both comprehensive and reproducible in a variety of library contexts. To begin our approach to a new consortial model, we developed a complete technical system for building and operating a digital library. Building such a system is no small achievement. Similar efforts have been undertaken with the Elsevier Science TULIP Project and the JSTOR project.

The primary desiderata for a new consortial model are as follows:

• Any research library can participate using agreed upon and accepted standards.

• Many research libraries each contribute relatively small amounts of labor by scanning a small, controlled number of journal issues. Scanning is both systematic and based on a request for an individual article.

• Readily available off-the-shelf equipment is used.

• Intellectual property is made available through licensing and controlled by the Rights Manager software system.

• Publishers grant rights to libraries to scan and store intellectual property retrospectively (i.e., already purchased materials) in exchange for the right to license use of the digital formats to other users. Libraries provide publishers with digital copies of scholarly journals for their own use, thus enabling publishers to enrich their own electronic libraries.