Audio/Video 2006: The Future is Now
The era of downloadable AV has dawned—here's how it's working in the real library world
By Ann Kim -- Library Journal, 5/15/2006
Only two years ago, in LJ's 2004 Audio/Video supplement, we asked, "Are we finally nearing the end of the age of the cassette?" We also examined the transition to DVDs in library collections. Last year, Alan Kaye, director of the Roddenbery Memorial Library, GA, simply stated, "The digital age is here, with no turning back" (LJ 5/15/05). According to the LJ Audio/Video Survey 2005 (LJ 11/15/05), the percentage of audiobooks in library collections is dropping slightly, although audiobook circulation and budgets have grown: the decline in collection percentage is likely caused by libraries' embrace of downloadable audiobooks. Although the DVD boom continues unabated, with circulation rising 91 percent in two years, security problems and theft have risen, too. Help may be on the doorstep, though, with eVideo tapping its foot impatiently.
Aural fixation
Libraries lending iPod shuffles and creating new collaborations with vendors have been making news, bringing much-needed publicity to library services. Patrons are now aware they can get downloadable audio at the library, which is generally well received by the community at large. "The new audiobook service is the most popular new resource I have seen in our public libraries in my 30-year career," Susan Stewart, director of Hall County Library System, Gainesville, GA, recently told news web site AccessNorthGa.com. Her library's downloadable program comes from Recorded Books/NetLibrary. Nevertheless, many libraries are still poised on the digital brink. PUBLIB resounds at least once a month with a librarian asking for advice on downloadable audio. Should the library lend MP3 players? Which vendor is good to work with? What kind of policies do other libraries have regarding downloadable audio?
The Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), comprised of 73 independent libraries in New Jersey, began a soft launch of its downloadable audio program in December 2005, working with Recorded Books/NetLibrary. It had a two-year campaign in mind. In three-and-a-half months, 884 of the 1200 BCCLS titles were downloaded, a response that far exceeded expectations. As of April, BCCLS is averaging 500 new accounts per month and is likely to surpass its two-year goal of 10,000 accounts and 100,000 downloads. In June, BCCLS will expand its offerings via OverDrive. Libraries in BCCLS are phasing out cassette purchases but are still buying books on CD since the audio market in the system tends to be seniors and commuters.
The joy & sorrows of the new
|
Top 10 Downloaded Audiobooks at BCCLS (December 2005-March 2006)
|
More than 1500 staff members work in BCCLS libraries, serving more than one million residents. One of the major goals is to convert library staffers; email to staff goes out at least weekly, and there is either a training session or downloadable audiobook-oriented event each month. There have been two major field presentations about the process for the staff. In May, BCCLS is doing six demonstrations for the public, with more in the fall. Several of the BCCLS libraries have purchased players and preloaded them in order to let patrons do a test drive. Some even plan to download the titles for their patrons as a service. Also, by June, BCCLS will have ten libraries with downloadable stations for the staff or public to use for moving downloadable audiobooks onto MP3 players.
That brings up one of the major frustrations regarding downloadable audio-MP3 players. White says, "Although Microsoft maintains a 'plays for sure' web site, the plays for sure means it plays songs for sure, not necessarily audiobooks. One of the real problems is that the devices are designed for three-minute songs, not necessarily an 80-minute symphony, or a 15-hour audiobook. For now, the only two models we have been reasonably comfortable recommending have been Samsung (although it is without bookmarking) and Creative Zen (although some of its models don't work)."
Is it all worth it? White succinctly lists the benefits for patrons: unlimited downloads, no fines, and no waiting. And benefits for the library? "When you think of no replacement CDs/cassettes, no more preparation of cumbersome (and shelf-hogging) boxes, downloadable audiobooks look better and better. The possibilities of 1000 people reading and sharing their views on the same book at once are very feasible with this technology."
Ahead of the curve
For many, the eVideo option is not even a glimmer on the horizon. Yet, some larger libraries are already clearing the digital way so that others can learn at lower cost. The Denver Public Library (DPL), which uses OverDrive, was the first in the nation to offer downloadable movies and concert videos-dubbed eFlicks-in March of this year, complementing its audio ebook, ebook, and streaming classical music catalog. Michelle Jeske, DPL's manager of web information services and resource sharing and a 2005 LJ Mover & Shaker, calls it "a phenomenal success."
With only 82 titles, DPL circulated over 1200 eFlicks in one month. "During the same time, we circulated over 1700 audio ebooks and 1500 ebooks. We have over 4000 ebook and audio ebook titles.... We added almost 1000 new customers to the downloadable service the first month," says Jeske. Not only did the launch go smoothly, she says, but "most customers downloaded the software and movies just fine on their own." Also, says Jeske, the additional media coverage for the new service boosted circulation for ebooks and audio ebooks.
|
Top Downloaded eFlicks at DPL (March-April 2006)
|
Closely following Denver, the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched its eVideo program in April, rounding out an eMedia catalog of ebooks and audiobooks that started in fall 2005 and eMusic, which began in the first quarter of 2006. Why eVideo? "We wanted to try it," says Barbara Genco, director of collection development. "We thought it was exciting, and we wanted to reach people who don't normally use us. We felt that this was the key way to get to that crucial young demographic." Patrons weren't demanding the service, but, in launching it, Genco and staff hoped to create a need.
The launch, says Genco, "was surprisingly seamless...because we had been working so well with [OverDrive], we had few to no problems. We probably had fewer questions about this than we did on the digital audiobooks." Genco and Sheryl Katzin, electronic resources specialist, also picked "kind of wacky titles. Titles that we thought would go with that young demographic. Anything urban, classics, 'hipper' titles were our choices for launch." As to whether they'll cut back on audio materials (BPL no longer purchases audiocassettes), Genco says that "we have users for our regular audio...but we now know that people are becoming much more familiar with the MP3 format and with podcasting. This is just a natural transition for us." Currently partnering with OverDrive, BPL will be getting MARC records for its OPAC, which will enable the collection to be exposed on Google Scholar.
Common problems, common vision
Most librarians wish for more content, more distributors, iPod compatibility, and a streamlining of copyright issues. As Jessamyn West of Librarian.net fame put it to Playlist magazine, "We're moving away from a 'here is an item, do whatever you want with it' to a situation where we have to pass on restrictions and requirements along with the item. This requires a depth of knowledge about not just items such as songs, videos, and tape cassettes but also file formats like MP3, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and Windows Media Video (WMV) and how they do and do not work on individual computers and players." Given the success of so many downloadable programs at libraries, with high download stats to prove it, the iPod compatibility is no longer considered a hindrance to implementation. Nevertheless, the day Apple decides to loosen up a bit will be a day of great fanfare and celebration. In the meantime, Boot Camp software lets you run Windows XP on your Mac.
Many of the answers to librarians' questions regarding digital media depend upon community/patron awareness and library resources. Electronic discussion lists and conferences are great tools for dialog and advice. In terms of selection, "It's important to know who the people are in your community who really use digital products," says BPL's Genco. Once implemented, marketing is crucial.
|
Top Downloaded eVideos for BPL (April 2006)
|
Most librarians agree that delving into and learning about the issues now and implementing digital catalogs will only help them in the future when the "born-digital" people, as Genco calls them, spearhead the culture. "I keep feeling that over time people are not going to want to go somewhere and have a physical object," she says. In addition, Genco continues, "it's so much easier for us to manage the security, the checking-in, the checking-out, all of those elements." BCCLS's White envisions downloadable audiobooks as "a transition for weaning our public away from physical audiocassettes and CDs to more flexible formats. What new formats the technoworld will dream up, we will cope with."
A materially lighter future with download kiosks, cheap and ubiquitous laptops, streaming media, and citywide wireless access (San Francisco is planning to bring free, wireless Internet access to everyone in the city, perhaps by the end of the year) is being realized a little every day. Don't blink, because this AV moment in time is just a transition to the next.
| Author Information |
| Ann Kim is Special Projects Coordinator, LJ |
