ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Welcome Letter

Announcing the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program

We are pleased to announce the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program. The following series of questions and answers will help you decide if you would like to participate in this new venture. These questions and answers are also available on the ATLA and SCELC websites.

Why Did We Choose SCELC as a Partner?

ATLA members have requested discount and consortial access to e-resources over time. While staff have been successful in negotiating several arrangements, ATLA decided to seek a partner that could provide broader offerings at the best price to libraries. SCELC was selected due to its cooperative, library-focused reputation and affordable fee schedule.

SCELC has many years of experience negotiating and managing cooperative licensing of electronic resources for libraries of nonprofit private academic and research institutions in California, including many ATLA institutional members. ATLA is pleased to present the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program as the latest in a series of valuable member benefits.

What is the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program?

The ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program, designed in partnership with SCELC, is intended to provide ATLA institutional members with the opportunity to license electronic resources not currently available through local consortial agreements. All ATLA institutional members located in the United States are eligible to become ATLA/SCELC Affiliates; they will then be able to acquire access to electronic resources at reduced rates negotiated by SCELC. Both ATLA and SCELC staff members are available to assist potential affiliates throughout this process.

Is Your Library Eligible?

In order to participate in this program, your library must:

  • Be an institutional member of ATLA located in the United States (your library does not have to be located in California to participate)
  • Have a dedicated IP range assigned to your institution
  • Agree to the payment policies and procedures described in the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Guidelines

How Do You Join?

To become an ATLA/SCELC Affiliate, you will need to complete the following two items:

When completed, fax your ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Agreement Form to SCELC at (310) 471-0123. If you have any questions, you may contact Barbara Kemmis, Director of Member Services at ATLA, at bkemmis [at] atla [dot] com or James Wiser, Assistant Director of SCELC, at jwiser [at] scelc [dot] org.

What Should You Expect?

You will receive periodic announcements of vendor offerings throughout the year. It is solely your decision whether or not to participate in any specific offer. Becoming an ATLA/SCELC Affiliate does not obligate you to purchase anything. There are no up-front cost obligations.

How Will You Learn About New Licensing Opportunities?

The ATLA and/or SCELC office will offer new licensing opportunities through e-mail announcements. Whenever possible, SCELC will ask vendors to provide resource trials and instructional webinars to explain their products and services. ATLA/SCELC Affiliates will be able to participate in these trials and webinars in order to make informed purchase decisions.

How Will You Be Billed?

SCELC manages the financial aspects of this program and pays all vendor bills directly to vendors. New purchases or subscriptions are billed to the library upon order. In addition, SCELC will bill you for all of your licensed resources in one statement that is issued once a year using SCELC’s “Master Renewal” process. The Master Renewal is similar to how libraries work with subscription agents, where once a year SCELC will bill a library for all of its existing SCELC resources. SCELC will maintain detailed information about your licensing and billing choices.

What Does SCELC Charge for its Services?

For each electronic resource acquisition, SCELC charges an administrative surcharge of either 1% or 5%, depending on the nature of the licensed product. This surcharge is the same surcharge SCELC charges its dues-paying members. SCELC will also charge a small “affiliate transaction fee” to recoup the additional administrative costs of supporting non-member libraries. These charges are detailed more fully in the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Guidelines document. If an institution is charged more than $750 in affiliate transaction fees in any given year, that institution may find it beneficial to apply for SCELC membership. At no point will surcharges from SCELC make a licensed resource more expensive for your institution than if you went directly to the vendor. We will never expect an institution to pay more for a resource through this partnership than if they licensed similar content on its own.

What Are Your Responsibilities?

Although SCELC manages vendor negotiation and vendor payment, you have responsibilities as an ATLA/SCELC Affiliate. You will be expected to:

  • Pay your bills in accordance with SCELC procedures as outlined in the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Guidelines.
  • Notify SCELC of any IP range changes.
  • Notify SCELC of any changes to your name or e-mail address.
  • Work with your institution’s IT department as necessary to make sure that resources are accessible within your organization.
  • Provide training and promotion as appropriate within your organization to inform your clientele about the availability and use of licensed resources.

Can You Become a SCELC Member on Your Own?

You may be eligible to become an SCELC member, but you do not have to become one in order to participate in this program. Each SCELC member pays annual dues of $750 but is not charged affiliate transaction fees. In addition to participating in consortial licensing, SCELC members receive full membership benefits which entitle them to attend all SCELC events for free, a free online subscription to The Charleston Advisor, opportunity to participate in SCELC governance, and opportunity to participate in the SCELC Digital Library Project using OCLC’s CONTENTdm. Non-members such as ATLA/SCELC Affiliates are only eligible to participate in consortial licensing.

More Information About the ATLA/SCELC Affiliate Program

For more information about this program, please contact any of the following individuals:

  • Brenda Bailey-Hainer, Executive Director, ATLA, bbailey-hainer [at] atla [dot] com (for questions about eligibility)
  • Rick Burke, Executive Director, SCELC, rburke [at] scelc [dot] org (for questions about SCELC membership or history)
  • James Wiser, Assistant Director, SCELC, jwiser [at] scelc [dot] org (for questions about specific offerings and billing)