Building an E-Audio Reserves Program at Tulane University: Methods and Procedures

Abstract

Electronic audio reserves, or e-audio reserves, is a highly sought-after service for academic music libraries. With the publication in 2010 of the Music Library Association's Statement on the Digital Transmission of Audio Reserves finally clarifying a library's roles and responsibilities regarding related copyright issues, librarians have been anxious to respond to the need and initiate their own e-audio reserves program. Copyright, however, is just one hurdle that music libraries are facing now that implementation is on the horizon. When an opportunity arose at Tulane University to re-build our e-audio reserves program, a survey seeking information about the hardware, software, and related security issues was sent to the Music Library Association listserv. The responses revealed a disparity in methodology and, in multiple cases, an absence of full knowledge about a library's own systems. This article traces the process of building an e-audio reserves program at Tulane University from start to finish. Beginning with an internal survey of available resources, this article reviews the departments we successfully reached out to and continue to collaborate with, the hardware and software selected to manage the program, metadata standards, workflow, and, finally, advertising the service to faculty.

KEYWORDS:

• music libraries
• electronic audio reserves
• course reserves
• music reserves
• academic libraries

Notes

1. There are several different position types that might be suitable to this task, such as a metadata librarian. This particular position of audio-visual technician, however, is fitting to our local needs as the Music & Media Center is not only the primary service point for music services but also circulates all media formats and has several viewing and listening stations. The job responsibilities of our audio-visual technician encompass some of the tasks common to an audio-visual technician, such as equipment maintenance, as well as many tasks typically assigned to a library technician position, such as circulation and e-audio reserves.