TexShare/SCELC Partner Welcome Letter

Announcing the TexShare/SCELC Partner Program

We are pleased to announce the TexShare/SCELC Partner 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 TexShare and SCELC web sites.

What is the TexShare/SCELC Partner Program?

The TexShare/SCELC Partner Program is intended to provide private colleges and universities in Texas with the opportunity to license electronic resources not currently available through the TexShare program. Private colleges and universities in Texas are eligible to become TexShare/SCELC Partners; they will then be able to acquire access to electronic resources at reduced rates negotiated by SCELC. Both TexShare and SCELC staff members are available to assist potential partners throughout this process.

Is your library eligible?

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

  • be a nonprofit, private academic within the state of Texas;
  • be a TexShare member institution or an affiliate member of the TexShare program;
  • have a dedicated IP address range assigned to your institution;
  • be able to demonstrate nonprofit status by providing an IRS documentation letter stating nonprofit status; and,
  • agree to the payment policies and procedures described in the TexShare/SCELC Partner Guidelines.

How do you join?

To become a TexShare/SCELC Partner, you will need to complete the following three documents:

When completed, fax your TexShare/SCELC Partner Agreement Form and IRS Nonprofit Letter of Determination to SCELC at (310) 471-0123. If you have any questions, you may contact Russlene Waukechon, TexShare Database Coordinator, at (512) 463-7402 or James Wiser, Assistant Director of SCELC, at (310) 728-6798.

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 a TexShare/SCELC Partner does not obligate you to purchase anything. There are no up-front cost obligations.

How will you learn about new licensing opportunities?

The TexShare and/or SCELC office will offer new licensing opportunities through email announcements. Whenever possible, SCELC will ask vendors to provide database trials and instructional webinars to explain their products and services. TexShare/SCELC Partners 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 purchase. 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 “partner transaction fee” to recoup the additional administrative costs of supporting non-member libraries. These charges are detailed more fully in the TexShare/SCELC Partner Guidelines document. Moreover, for each product offering, we will detail the exact amount your institution will owe in each product announcement. At no point, however, will SCELC surcharges 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 a TexShare/SCELC Partner. You will be expected to:

  • Pay your bills in accordance with SCELC procedures as outlined in the TexShare/SCELC Partner Guidelines.
  • Notify SCELC of any IP range changes.
  • Notify SCELC of any changes to your name or email address.
  • Work with your institution 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.

Why will TexShare and SCELC be good partners?

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. TexShare and SCELC were both struck by the compatibility of the private academic institutions in Texas and California — including the number of institutions, the relative sizes of the institutions, and the types with diverse fields of study. We saw real potential for making many more resources accessible to TexShare private academic member libraries at the lowest cost through this organization with such an outstanding reputation for service and value.

Can you become a SCELC member on your own?

You are certainly eligible to become an SCELC member, but you do not have to become a SCELC member to participate in this program. Each SCELC member pays annual dues of $750 but is not charged partner 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, access to the SCELC consortial ERMS, 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 TexShare/SCELC Partners are only eligible to participate in consortial licensing.

More information about the TexShare/SCELC Partner Program

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

  • Russlene Waukechon, TexShare Database Coordinator, rwaukchn [at] tsl [dot] state [dot] tx [dot] us
  • Ann Mason, TexShare Coordinator, Library Resource Sharing Division amason [at] tsl [dot] state [dot] tx [dot] us
  • Rick Burke, Executive Director, SCELC, rburke [at] scelc [dot] org
  • James Wiser, Assistant Director, SCELC, jwiser [at] scelc [dot] org