Structure of document provision services in the library-publisher interface

The document provision function, operating between publishers (suppliers) and libraries (customers) has typically been provided by not-for-profit organizations. It is argued that this has evolved because heretofore the combination of technology and copyright law has allowed the economic interest of the supplier to be ignored. The new copyright law, however, in addition to recognizing the interest of libraries, does make an explicit recognition of the supplier's economic interest. The classic supplier-customer relationship has been reestablished, and this has had a profound effect on how the document provision function should be structured.