Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Library Database Licensing Practices, 2012 Edition, ISBN 157440-206-4.  The 120+ page international study is based on data from 60 academic, corporate, legal and public libraries each with mean annual database spending of more than $1.13 million.  

The report analyzes spending history and intentions for databases, ebooks, eDirectories, electronic journal collections and other forms of online intellectual property, and gives detailed data on number of licenses maintained, plans for renewals, staff time spent in servicing licenses, incidence of legal problems with database vendors, and the use of digital repositories, ebook lending services, free backfiles from  journal publishers and other non-traditional sources of intellectual property. 

The study relates library renewal and purchase plans by type of medium (ie directories, ebooks, journals etc) and by subject matter (business/finance, medical, humanities, etc) and also looks at many special purpose issues such as the perceived usefulness of applications to permit database access on smartphones, tablet computers and other emerging devices, as well as the perceived need for database coverage of blogs, wikis, podcasts and other emerging mediums.  In addition, the study gives extensive information on how librarians feel about the accuracy of the invoices that they receive from database vendors, and how scrupulous the vendors are in adhering to contract terms.

The report also gives extensive data on the role played by consortia in licensing, as well as information on perceived database price increases for a broad range of product types and subject areas.

Data in the report is broken out for US, developing country, and Non-US developed country participants, as well as by type of library and library size, among other variables.

Some the report’s many findings are that:

•	Libraries in the sample spend a mean of $70,030 per year on electronic licenses for e-books
•	eBook spending by the libraries in the sample has increased by an aggregate 60% over the past two years.
•	44.64% of libraries in the sample expect to cut 25% or more of their current contracts for directories in the next two years.
•	7.02% of survey participants say that the ability to access databases through smartphones and other handheld devices is essential for their library and 33.33% categorize it as important.
•	48.28% of survey participants in college libraries and 45.45% of those in public libraries would like blogs indexed in the databases they now use.
•	Libraries in the sample participated in a mean of 3 consortia from which they licensed at least one database and consortia accounted for 44.56% of the database licenses for the libraries in the sample.
•	For libraries in the sample, electronic content on business and finance has increased in price by a mean of 6.91% in the last year.
•	Survey participants estimate that a mean of 22.53% of their database vendors sometimes deliver problematic invoices which library personnel are compelled to check carefully.
•	About 47% of survey participants report a modest increase in database usage at their library in the past year, much of this accounted for by libraries in the United States, 53.13% of which increased used modestly and 15.63% of which increased use substantially.

The report is available from Primary Research Group and from most major international book distributors.  For a table of contents, sample pages, list of participants, or to place an order, view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.