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In search of a cohesive tool for managing license agreements, the University of Florida Libraries has devised an in-house project. This paper tracks development of the project from its theoretical inception, which began in 1997. The project was intended to he an all-encompassing database that allowed tracking of license agreements from the time they were received in the Serials Acquisitions Unit to their final signature. The discussion follows the progress of the database development and details the current portable document format (PDF) project in place, which uses scanned license agreements linked to the OPAC (online public access catalog) title record for ease of access and tracking by libraries staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the comparative findings of two studies undertaken at the University of Florida Libraries comparing online journal usage statistics derived from COUNTER-compliant publishers. The analyses conducted in 2005 and 2006 were not intended to be rigorous scientific studies. Instead, the statistical assessments were intended as tools for determining trends in the costs and use of online journals at the University of Florida. The studies also explored the relationship between the large publisher online journal packages (the so-called Big Deals often licensed through consortia arrangements) and online journal usage, and the effects of Big Deal packages on library budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]