MOBIUS Vendor Statement

This statement was developed by the MOBIUS E-Resources Committee and was approved by the Board of Directors on April 19, 2024.

The MOBIUS E-Resources licensing program strives to connect our member and partner libraries with technologies and services that meet the diverse needs of their communities. We serve 78 member libraries and 37 library partners representing academic, public, and special libraries. MOBIUS currently works with more than 50 vendors to offer electronic resources and services to our libraries. 

 

MOBIUS works to ensure vendor partnerships are mutually beneficial and looks for the following: 

 

Meaningful Discounts and Transparent Pricing Models - Pricing offered through MOBIUS should reflect a meaningful discount over what would be paid by subscribing through the vendor directly. Pricing models and discounts should be clearly communicated, with a strong preference for FTE-based models for opt-in offers. 

 

Inclusion of Public and Special Libraries - MOBIUS is a multi-type consortium, and it is important to us that our public and special libraries be included in pricing offers wherever possible. 

 

Single Subscription Term - A single annual subscription term should be set for all MOBIUS subscriptions with a particular vendor. Any subscription started after the agreed-upon subscription term should be prorated to align with that term. Subscriptions in excess of 12 months may be offered in some circumstances to achieve this. Monthly prorating is preferred. 

 

Centralized Licensing - MOBIUS prefers to sign one license agreement covering all purchasing members and partners. Any addendum or additional documentation required when additional libraries join should also be signed by MOBIUS. 

 

Centralized Invoicing - Invoicing should always be done through MOBIUS except in limited circumstances. We prefer one consolidated invoice covering all renewing members. 

 

Sustainable and Predictable Increases - Annual price increases should reflect the reality of budget situations for libraries and be clearly communicated. Justification will need to be provided for increases in excess of 3%.

 

Responsiveness - Requests for pricing should be filled in a timely manner. Renewal pricing should be provided 90 days in advance, and clearly indicate the list and discounted prices. 

 

Accessibility - The accessibility of resources to all library users is critical to our libraries missions. Vendors should work towards increasing the accessibility of their offerings and provide updated VPAT information on an annual basis. 

 

Open Access - MOBIUS is committed to furthering the goal of making research output open and accessible to researchers around the globe. As part of this commitment, we have a strong interest in pursuing a variety of open access models. Open access proposals should take into account the diversity of institution types within MOBIUS. There is also strong interest in models that allow for opening up previously published work. 

 

Preferred License Terms - License terms should support current standards for use of resources in teaching, learning, and research. The terms should not overly restrict Fair Use under current copyright laws. Preferred terms include: 



  • Interlibrary Loan Rights

  • Text and Data Mining 

  • Course Reserves and Course Packs (Electronic & Print)

  • Walk-in Use

  • Patron Data Privacy

  • Institutional Branding

  • Scholarly Sharing

  • COUNTER Compliance

  • Missouri as the Preferred Jurisdiction and Venue

  • AI Clauses that comply with the ICOLC Statement on AI Licensing 

 

To learn more about working with MOBIUS contact christina@mobiusconsortium.org