This workshop is presented and funded by the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System.
~
Scott Kehoe, Technology Consultant
Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS)
978-762-4433 x16 / scott@nmrls.org / www.nmrls.org
IM:AIM-bibliotechy / MSN-bibliotekky /Yahoo!-biblioteky
Click& Go!
technical considerations
Bandwidth
- impact on your network of allowing patrons to download media files in the library
- 1 song = 3+ MB per song
- 275pp audiobook w/ multiple actors/sound effects= 100 MB
- 40 minutes of medium quality video – 200 MB
WiFi? Hotspot?
Got a public wireless
network?
- If you do, then students, faculty, staff, and librarians(!) are already downloading music, audiobook and video files for themselves!
Whereto save downloads? - Will you allow patrons to save media files to your hard drive?
- Burn files to CD / DVD?
- Load files from your public terminals to their iPod / MP3 player?
The right equipment
- The right cables to hook
upan iPod / MP3 player
- USB 2.0 and/ or FireWire ports for fast transfer of data and connection
to patron’s flash drives or MP3 Players.
Note that some devices will not work with older computers with USB1.0 ports
(5+ years old).
Loaning equipment to patrons?
- iPod / MP3 players
- headphones
- cassette adapters / FM transmitters (for car stereos)
Staff training
If you offer a digital audio service, even as a remote service, your users are going to ask about this, so make sure your staff knows the answers (Why won’t this work on my iPod?)
Copyright education - an opportunity for instruction
Licenses&
Contracts
- legal
consul to review contracts, do you own the digital material or are you leasing
it? Do you care?
The future of the
library’s materials budget may be about accessing material, not purchasing it.
On the other hand, weeding won’t be so much a worry in libraries as the 21stcentury
progresses.
^top^
INREVIEW: The following commercial
services use the following DRM audio formats
iTunes= AAC
OCLC Recorded Books NetLibrary, OverDrive,
Napster, Yahoo! Music, Real Networks =WMA
Another quick aside … on USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) … what
makes all this possible …
USB 2.0 ports
are the standard port for connecting everything to a computer, PC or
Apple. USB ports connect everything from keyboards and printers, to
external hard drives, digital cameras, and MP3players. USB 2.0 is
important not only because it is standard but, because it’s fast! This is important as you
don’t want to wait all day to load all your old Kiss albums onto your iPod!
Transfer
speeds:
USB
2.0 =480 megabits/sec. (60MB/sec)
FireWire= 400 megabits/sec. (50MB/sec)
USB1.1=12 megabits/sec. (1.5MB/sec)
Wikipedia article on USB: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
^top^
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Digital
Audiobooks in Libraries Current models
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Library facilitated |
Remote access
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- Audible.com - Apple iTunes / iPod Shuffles projects - Playaway |
-
OCLC NetLibrary Recorded Books - OverDrive |
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- Patron must come to Library to obtain their audiobook selections and / or a device
- Popular content, current bestsellers
- Library staff downloads audiobook to an iPod or MP3 player (library or patron owned).
- If Playaway, no downloading, just check-out the pre-loaded device.
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- Patron does not need to physically come to the library
- Patron does need a library card to authenticate through a website
- Patron needs relatively high-speed internet access
- Patron must first download & install proprietary software on their computer: OverDrive player, Windows Media Player
- Patron can listen to audiobooks on their computer or download to an MP3 player
- Some titles can be burned to CD
Does not work with iPods …
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Libraries in
Wilbraham Public Library
Memorial Hall Library,
Lynn Public Library Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library Melrose Public Library Memorial Hall Library, Peabody Institute Library, Peabody
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Libraries in OCLC NetLibrary Recorded Books Beverly Public Library Boxford Public Library Minuteman network CLAMS network Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Orange Public Library C/W MARS network MVLC network OCLN network SAILS network
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Some Libraries also loan the equipment to patrons.
Devices: iPod shuffles / MP3 players / usually not headphones (for sanitary reasons …) For car stereos (commuters): cassette adapters / FM transmitters
Libraries in iPod Shuffle: Wilbraham Public Library MP3
players: Memorial Hall Library, FM
transmitters: Memorial Hall Library,
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^top^
Memorial Hall Library (Andover, MA) - patrons can borrow one of 40MP3 players loaded with digital audio books, or bring in their own MP3 playeror iPod and have digital audiobooks loaded! MHL primarily uses as their vendor.
- http://www.mhl.org/catalog/collections/eaudio - Main site for patrons.
- http://www.mhl.org/catalog/collections/eaudio/librarians.htm - For Librarians, links to other libraries also providing this service, their policies, technical issues and tips.
OCLC NetLibrary/Recorded Books
Boxford Town Library
http://www.boxfordtownlib.org/Downloadable_Audiobooks.htm
CLAMS Network
http://library.clamsnet.org/screens/CLAMSRecordedBooksGuide.html
Wheeler Memorial Library (
http://www.orangelib.org/readers/audiobooks.htm
Vendor allows remote downloads from a website to a patron’s own computer. Also offers music and video collections. Once downloaded, the file can then be loaded onto an MP3 player (not iPod) and most can be burned to CD-ROM.
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- C/W Mars Library Network (
- SAILS Library Network (Middleboro, MA): http://sails.lib.overdrive.com/
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Wilbraham Public Library (MA) iPodShuffle Project – “The library has purchased five iPod Shuffles to circulate with audiobook content.”
South Huntington Library (
-Music on iPod: http://www.shpl.info/catalog_ipodbooks.asp
-Books on iPod: http://www.shpl.info/catalog_ipodmusic.asp
Playaway- store.playawaydigital.com
An all-in-one digital audiobook. The player is preloaded with one audiobook and encased in book’s dust jacket, it’s like a little plastic book! The audiobook is not transferable, cannot be erased, nor can anything be added to the player. Pricing is about $35+ per device. Can be purchased with library-specific packaging which includes a video-tape sized container, it includes the player, headphones and battery.
Questions about Playaway? See their FAQ: http://store.playawaydigital.com/FAQ
^top^
Consumer options
for Digital Audiobooks
audible.com Offers it’s own digital format that can be played on iPods and select MP3 players. It’s online digital bookstore is also available through Apple iTunes. Once you’ve created an account, you can buy books, magazines, podcasts, and MP3players.
Apple iTunes download iTunes, click on Music Store, click on Audiobooks. Most Audiobooks provided by Audible.com, but iTunes has some exclusive audiobook store, most famously, Harry Potter! www.apple.com/itunes
OCLC NetLibrary/Recorded Books digital audiobook service offered through NetLibrary. Enables patrons to download books remotely, but audio format is WMA, iPod users can not play these files.
http://www.netlibrary.com/recordedbooks/
Project Gutenberg - Free Downloads!, public domain audiobooks read and created by volunteers. Their mission is simple, “to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks.”
- Audio Book, human-read: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/1
- Audio Book, computer-generated: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/2
Playaway (www.playawaydigital.com) – the all-in-one
digital audiobook, available at major office-supply stores and bookstore
chains.
^top^
Is the Library ready to
download music?
Maybe … yeah, kinda …
sorta … not really …
Current consumer digital music
delivery model
Purchases
are geared toward individual tracks, but albums and even “liner notes” can also
be purchased.
Tracks are
generally 99 cents apiece.
To buy
& download music, most music sites require downloading and installing their
free proprietary software (iTunes, Napster)
Sites
require users register with personal information, email, and a credit card.
Most sites allow users to create a deposit account.
The software (iTunes,
Napster)
links to specific user accounts on individual computers and iPod / MP3 player.
The music is
licensed to individual user accounts and individual computers/MP3 players using
DRM (digital
rights management) software.
If a consumer’s
hard-drive crashes and / or their player is lost, so is their music!
After you buy and download a track, it is the consumer’s responsibility to back
it up. Some services remind consumers of this after a purchase.
^top^
…the times, they are a-changin’
... like, wicked fast!
Libraries who
offer music downloads!
Public
Library Example
South Huntington Library (Long Island, NY) is offering iTunes music on their iPod Shuffles.
-Music
on iPods
Library Vendor
Example
OverDrive (www.overdrive.com) –access to the music catalog of 3 record companies:
Alligator Records; Nettwerk; and Naxos of America. According to a press release, the Naxos Music Library
contains over 5,000 classical works and patrons will be able to download music
to their computer and supported audio players.
-Boston Public Library’s OverDrive Music Collection (http://overdrive.bpl.org)
Campus-wide Online
Media Stores
These services provide students at colleges and universities
access to these vendors’ media catalogs. Usually this consists of
streaming music (playing only, no downloading) and allowing students to
download to a hard drive for a limited time period. But if a student
wants to burn a CD or load music onto a MP3 player, they must purchase the
songs (usually at a discount) and they are then theirs to keep.
- Apple iTunes U (http://www.apple.com/education/solutions/itunes_u/) - Duke, Stanford, Michigan
Offering not just the full complement of iTunes music, videos,
podcasts, and TV shows. But an “institutionally branded” iTunes with
school colors and logo! It also a way to distribute lectures, campus news,
and video and audio podcasts.
Fairfield Univ. presentation at 2007 NERCOMP Conference, Worcester MA (PDF downloads): http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/iPodsiTun