As Ann Okerson, Associate Librarian at Yale University, pointed out, electronic products have taken the information industry back to buyer-seller negotiations and away from print subscriptions. The resurrection of buyer-seller negotiations has increased overheads for all parties involved.
Many contracts take six months to negotiate.
While it will take some time to bring publishers and librarians together on pricing and access models, there is significant progress being made in simplifying the language of contracts. For this reason, librarians need access to boilerplate licenses and standard terms and definitions. They also may need tools and negotiation help from associations and third-party vendors. This software separates licenses into two parts, decoupling standard language and definitions from the actual negotiation. Once the user enters the necessary information, he or she pushes a button, and a draft license appears.