From: Kevin Smith <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2015 23:52:20 +0000

This offer comes rather late, I'm afraid.  At least at my institution,
we are relying far less on traditional books and articles for our
MOOCs. Over the three years we have been doing these classes, the
various licenses and other grants of permission have become an
increasing obstacle; faculty keep developing creative new ways to use
their courses, and the licensing restrictions are inflexible and
cumbersome. So we are asking our MOOC instructors to use as much free
and openly licensed content as they can.  The staff member who was
assisting with permission requests now spends most of her time
locating these alternative materials.  In a couple of cases she has
helped instructors make a transition from MOOCs that relied on
commercial content for which permission had been obtained to a course
using all openly licensed materials.  Each time it was because the
licenses were time-limited or otherwise had restrictions that made
them unusable in a new environment.

I think publishers missed the boat on MOOCs; they are now one of the
most effective way for us to promote open access.

Kevin L. Smith, M.L.S., J.D.
Director, Copyright and Scholarly Communications
Duke University Libraries



> On Feb 15, 2015, at 5:32 PM, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> From: Boissy, Robert, Springer US <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, Feb 10, 2015 at 12:11 PM
>
> I tell librarians about this program so they can know to tell faculty
> who might be involved with MOOCs.  There is not a negotiation, but a
> straight scale used based on a form filled in by the organizer of the
> MOOC or perhaps someone assisting them.  The discounting depends on
> expected number of registrants, and eBook discounts with coupons
> supplied by Springer for the duration of the course range from 20% to
> 70% off.   MOOC Participants who want a print book can qualify for 10%
> to 30% off.  There is simple form to fill in 30 days before the Mooc
> starts.
>
> Requests and inquiries for more information go to [log in to unmask]
>
> This program is run out of our trade/end-user division, not our
> library licensing division.
>
> That is what I know for now.
>
> Robert Boissy
> Manager, Account Development and Strategic Alliances
> Northeast and Mid-Atlantic USA: Academic & Government Accounts
> Springer Science+Business Media
> +1-781-244-7918
> [log in to unmask]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ann Shumelda Okerson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2015 19:25:44 -0500
>
> Anyone know how this will work?  Does each faculty member at the
> university negotiate, or?  And what the discounted pricing will be
> like?  Sort of like the pricing for institutions who buy Springer
> e-book subscriptions?
>
> *******
>
> http://www.springer.com/gb/about-springer/media/press-releases/corporate/springer-cooperates-with-mooc-organizers-around-the-globe/42598
>
> Effective immediately, the organizers of Massive Open Online Courses
> (MOOCs) can negotiate special rates regarding the purchase of Springer
> print and eBooks. Students who have registered for a free online
> course can order these books through a special URL. Additional types
> of content, for example journal articles, can also be provided for use
> as course material at a reduced rate.
>
> Once the organizer – as a rule, a university – has negotiated the
> usage conditions, Springer provides it with an access-controlled URL
> that leads to the selected book. For the duration of the MOOC, all
> registered students can purchase the book at a discount.