Guide to streaming video acquisitions

For Librarians familiar with video streaming models, this slim volume published by the American Library Association will offer few surprises. However, the format supports a quick reference resource for solution seeking librarians.

Chapter One, ‘The Library’s role in Providing Streaming Video’, poses a question most fundamental to libraries; the recurrent debate about library ownership versus access. If libraries have an inherent duty to curate material, is perpetual access important? Since many streaming video models only offer subscription access during a scheduled period ranging up to five years this is a fundamental concern. The chapter also questions the wisdom of handing collection development over to vendors. Following on, Chapter Two, ‘Workflows’, is a short six pages and provides a couple of sample forms and diagrams to illustrate common processes.

Business models, licencing and collection development are the focus of the next three chapters. Readers are encouraged to think about three models: purchasing rights to digitise, purchasing the streaming rights or leasing/purchasing a streaming collection. Deciding on a collection development strategy will streamline engagement with other issues, such as licencing terms and best practice. There is a reminder about the value of choosing user-friendly interfaces, perhaps modelled on the Netflix or Hulu platforms.

Academic Librarians will find useful insights in Chapter Six which looks at the discovery in an academic environment. The key consideration is how to market this material in Libraries when hands-on browsing shelves are no longer offered. In Chapter Nine, analytic tools are assessed for their value in pinpointing user demographics and popular collections. This information can be used to maximise exposure opportunities. The analytics tools provided by canopy are referenced as well-useful URLs of specific libguides which could be used for guidance on promoting streaming resources. The author considers various strategies to assess ROI (return on investment) and strongly recommends a demand-driven working collection, rather than archive driven or ‘just in case’ model.

The following chapter on ‘Classroom Use’ is less useful for Australian Librarians as it focuses on copyright and fair use in an American context. The book does, however, consider accessibility requirements, such as captioning, transcripts and keyboard shortcuts, which is more widely applicable.

And what of the final chapter: The Future? We all know video has become the dominant form of internet data. There is a very interesting summary of the way the market has grown, including Netflix and HBO examples, and an exploration of the demise of other services. The author asserts ‘Librarians are in an excellent position to mediate, facilitate and inform this access’, and this seems to represent the essence of the service.