Trade Secrets and Public Record

Andy Thomason reports that the National Association of College Stores is suing Purdue University because it wants full disclosure by Purdue of its contract with Amazon. Amazon negotiated with Purdue to provide bookstore services to the university, and required that large segments of its contract with this public university be redacted in public disclosure as "trade secrets."

In my experience working in a public library, book sellers often asked that their negotiated discounts be kept private. The National Association of College Stores seems to feel that contractual discount rates are a public record. The unintended consequence may that discounting is reduced or eliminated, decreasing the buying power of libraries in a time of financial restrictions.

-DD