How does TAL determine what new products to offer?
Answer
New products come to TAL’s attention when the library community shows interest in a product or the Licensing Librarian identifies a product of value for TAL members. There should be enough interest to warrant investigation, i.e., more than one library. The Licensing Librarian may contact/email libraries to get a sense of the level of interest.
Representatives of TAL’s member libraries are invited to serve on the Licensing Service Committee (LSC), which helps inform TAL’s decision-making for the licensing program.
Members are encouraged to contact licensing staff to communicate needs, but every request may not be acted upon, depending on staff resources and priorities. Every spring or as needed, the TAL LSC issues a member licensing survey to gather feedback and create a list of resources for consideration. These resources will be treated as priorities for the licensing staff to pursue, but other products may be considered as well, including new offers that come from Consortia Canada, other partner consortia, or directly from vendors.
TAL staff investigates products, and negotiates prices and license agreements with vendors, with the purpose of (a) giving members the information they need to make an informed decision and (b) offering the most advantageous price possible. To this end, products with a discount of 5% or less off the list price are pursued only if libraries agree after asking them for feedback.