The Iceland Consortium (IC) was started in 1999 when a license agreement was signed with Encyclopedia Britannica for a nation-wide access in Iceland. Subsequently in 2002 a service agreement between the National and University Library of Iceland and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture was signed listing mutual responsibilities.
The Icelandic parliament Althingi passed a law for National University of Iceland in year 2011. The law includes a clause stating that it is the legal obligation of the library to oversee Iceland Consortium for electronic subscriptions in cooperation with major stakeholders.
The aim of the IC is to secure access to academic and scholarly content for students and staff of academic and research institutions and the general public in Iceland.
Overseeing the IC is the National Librarian, Ms Ingibjorg Steinunn Sverrisdottir. Working with the National Librarian is a steering committee. The main tasks of the steering committee is to negotiate licensing agreements, approve of budget and decide the annual payment of participating institutions.
Participating institutions in the consortium are around 200.
Access is truly national as content is available to everyone in Iceland who connects to the internet through an Icelandic Service Provider (ISP) and thus by an Icelandic IP-number. This means that every one in Iceland has access 24/7 wether from home, at schools, at colleges, at work or hot spots.
License agreements
Current licenses including e-journals, databases, citations databases and encyclopedias. In addition there is a licence for the Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid, with a three year embargo.
E-journals
Elsevier, ScienceDirect
Karger, Karger Online
SAGE, Sage Premier 2012
Springer, SpringerLink
Wiley-Blackwell, Wiley Online Library
Databases
EBSCOHost, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, MasterFILE Premier
ProQuest, ProQuest Central
Citations databases
Thomson Reuters, Web of Science, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Science Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index
ProQuest, CSA - Complete
Ensyclopedias
Encyclopædia Britannica, Briannica Academic Edition and Briannica School Edition
Oxford University Press, Oxford Music Online
Contact at Iceland Consortium?
Birgir Bjornsson, administrator | birgirb@landsbokasafn.is | direct tel. +354 525 5711
Address
Iceland Consortium for electronic subscriptions | Arngrímsgata 3 - 107 Reykjavik | Iceland