Escrow management of risks associated with digital resources

Digital only subscription is increasingly popular as a means of journal and book delivery among our major libraries. The advantages of digital delivery are apparent, but unlike traditional publications, digital subscriptions are commonly not housed within our national boundaries. With an increasing large proportion of book and journal subscriptions being digital only this presents an as yet un-quantified risk to the collections of the major research and state libraries. At present very little attention is directed to the continuity of access to increasingly important research resources through periods of economic, social or military instability. Escrow contracts are an established method to guarantee continuity of business when licensing business-critical software applications. A case for the establishment of digital Escrow database at the national level is presented, and an architecture is suggested which proposes integration of the Escrow agreement as a fundamental element of the digital resource supply chain. Such a lodgement could then become a contractual element of the subscription to the benefit of both the publisher and the subscriber.