Bio


Erik Limpitlaw is a leading subject matter expert in the areas of licensing electronic resources, compliance, and digital preservation. He has a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and an undergraduate degree from Binghamton University - SUNY. He is a former member of the US National Rowing Team and competed in the World Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland in 2001 in the men's lightweight pair.

As a data licensing professional Erik has worked for the Statewide California Educational Licensing Consortium (SCELC), Bloomberg, LP, Thomson Reuters, Springer/Nature and Copyright Clearance Center (FKA, Infotrieve, Inc.).

Most notably, his time at Bloomberg LP in the Chief Risk and Compliance Office afforded him the experience of data analysis within one of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world. While at Bloomberg, Erik also served as a member of the Bloomberg LGBQTIA+ employee resource group B-PROUD and was a board member at OpenFinanceNYC - the largest networking group for LGBTQIA+ finance professionals in Manhattan. He still serves as a Member Emeritus.

Current Role at Stanford


My primary responsibility of the Digital Collections Licensing Librarian is to review and negotiate e-resource licenses and related documents on behalf of Stanford University Libraries (SUL) with publishers, resource aggregators, data sources and other service providers. I primarily work on the negotiation of document terms but am often brought into pricing negotiations with vendors as well as work with vendors in creating terms which have not historically worked with academia.

I work to ensure that the terms of these agreements meet SUL and Stanford University’s policies and requirements, that their terms of use are consistent with the needs of Stanford faculty, students, and staff, and that the cost meets SUL’s funding capabilities and is the best available negotiated price.

I also recommend to Associate University Librarians (AUL) for Collections, the Deputy University Librarian and/or the University Librarian whether a proposed license is acceptable and whether there are any issues and risks to consider. I am currently reviewing distinguishing terms across licensing various e-resources such as datasets and streaming media and improving internal document and licensing workflows.

I also serve, as needed and as appropriate, on SUL committees or other groups addressing Stanford’s e-resource needs, planning, and evaluation. I also serve as the liaison for e-resource matters to the relevant counterparts in Stanford’s Coordinate Libraries (Crown Law, Lane Medical, and Graduate School of Business).

Education & Certifications


  • JD, Syracuse University College of Law
  • BA, Binghamton University

All Publications


  • IS INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW WATERPROOF? THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE OCEANS AS A COMMONS Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce Limpitlaw, E. M. 2001; 29 (1): 185-206