From: Jennifer Williams <[log in to unmask]> Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 08:32:33 -0500 I would like to add a question to Nancy's. How common is it for vendors to require a signed agreement for a trial? I've just encountered this for the first time and my director is balking. The vendor admits that they are "new at this" (they are a new company) but does not show any signs of backing down on this requirement. Just my opinion, I can understand that legal may want to avoid the trialing of products that have completely untenable license stipulations. But it is their job to negotiate those licenses. And while getting a feel for what would need negotiating may sound like a good idea, it seems like a waste of their time when they don't know if the product will be picked up or not. Thank you, Jennifer C. Williams Electronic Resources & Collection Development Librarian J.F. Drake Memorial LRC Alabama A& M University [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Nancy Egan <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 16:53:38 +0000 Hello. Are there any librarians who work in public institutions who’ve had to have legal counsel look over (and approve) a vendor’s licensing agreement just to run a database trial? In one instance here, a vendor required a signature for a trial so the lawyer had to sign. However, now there’s been some suggestion that any vendor licenses should be reviewed before a trial—regardless of whether a signature is needed or not. Is this required (or has it been “suggested”) anywhere else? Thanks, Nancy Egan