(Apologies for cross-posting)

GAELIC and FRELICO first South African Consortium to sign "EmeraldPlus"
licensing agreement

MCB University Press are pleased to announce a multi-year electronic
licensing agreement with the South African consortia GAELIC and FRELICO.
This licensing agreement will allow all participating member libraries
electronic access to up to 10 years of information held within 117 academic
journals published by MCB University Press.

As the representative for GAELIC, Dr Anette van Vuren stated that "GAELIC
and FRELICO are very pleased to be the first South African consortium to
sign the EmeraldPlus licensing agreement.  By participating in such an
agreement with MCB University Press, the members of the consortium will
enjoy a significant increase in electronic access to 117 management titles,
whilst at the same time keeping the costs at an acceptable level."

Members of the consortia will enjoy all the benefits associated with an
electronic licensing agreement with MCB University Press such as:

* Access to the Emerald database which includes full text of 117 management
titles from 1994 onwards and abstract an archive from 1989 where available.
* Price stability for the duration of the agreement.
* Additional paper can be purchased at substantial discounts.
* An unlimited site licence (as many users can access the material as
necessary at the same time).
* Electronic inter library loan for members and non-members
* Improved and "tailor-made" customer account management by a dedicated
resource at MCB
* Regular visits and workshops to ensure members obtain the most benefit
from their access
* End user workshops to ensure academics and researchers understand the
valuable resource they have in Emerald and to help them to get published.
* Access to an on-line user guide specific to the users requirements.
* A dedicated consortia internet site and forum which encourages interaction
from interested parties

Bev Bruce, Director of Electronic Publishing for MCB University Press said
"We have welcomed the opportunity to work with Gaelic and Frelico in
providing a solution that fits their needs.  We recognised the financial
constraints and the ever expanding needs of the educational establishment
within South Africa and have hopefully gone some way to accommodating them.
We are excited that Gaelic and Frelico are the first South African consortia
to sign the EmeraldPlus agreement and look forward to fulfilling this
agreement with a number of customer care initiatives to support the
institutional requirements."

Both parties believe that the fair and flexible approach used will benefit
the individual libraries, students, faculty members and the interests of MCB
University Press.

Problems Solved

The EmeraldPlus licensing agreement addresses the principle issues
concerning the effective and efficient provision of information resources in
library settings, including:

* the increased demands now placed upon the academic library community
* the need to develop stable pricing models, aimed at reducing the unit cost
of information, and with continuing access to print journals if required.
* the need to maintain the concept of fair use established in the print
environment;
* that access to electronic resources should be unrestricted, location
independent, and that libraries wishing to host information locally will be
allowed to do so.
* that the degree of permanence provided by the acquisition of print journal
collections, should be replicated, in so far as possible, in the electronic
environment;
* that systems are developed to monitor the use and effectiveness of
publications;
* that the mechanisms employed for the authentication of users offers a
flexible number of solutions tailored to meet the needs of the individual
library.

MCB University Press is currently in active discussions with library
purchasing groups world-wide.

Anyone interested in further information should visit the MCB web site
http://www.mcb.co.uk, or contact:

Shelly Grimshaw
Consortia Manager
MCB UP Ltd
60/62 Toller Lane
Bradford
BD8 9BY
United Kingdom

Email:	[log in to unmask]
Tel:	+44 1274 777700
Fax:	+44 1274 785202

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MCB University Press is a privately owned company, founded in 1967 by a
group of senior business school academics who were dissatisfied with the
international publishing outlets available for authors. Its continuing
mission is to remain an independent niche publisher of high quality academic
research and applied titles.

MCB University Press is in the business of providing the best and latest
information and intelligence on behalf of its global customers. MCB
University Press now publishes over 140 titles, in both print and electronic
formats, predominantly within the subject areas of management science and
applied engineering, with all products and services being sold on an annual
subscription basis.

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The Gauteng and Environs Library Consortium (GAELIC) is a consortium of the
libraries attached to the fourteen major tertiary education institutions in
the province of Gauteng, South Africa.
The vision of GAELIC is to create a virtual library with local service
interfaces, forming part of a global information community for clients in
Gauteng and its environs.

# # #

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