the future of library music collections

DIGITAL MUSIC & LIBRARIESInformation Technology 550 - Sarah Elichko

What’s the problem?

Libraries are increasingly offering users access to electronic resources like journals and ebooks, but what about music?

Current library music collections rely overwhelmingly on physical music formats like CDs, especially for popular music in public libraries.

Digital music stores like iTunes prohibit redistribution of MP3 files – what alternatives exist for libraries?

History of Music Formats

1877 - Thomas Edison invents the phonograph. 1929 - Frequency Modulation (FM) radio introduced. 1948 - Columbia Records introduces the long-playing

(LP) record. 1979 - Sony Walkman introduced. (By 1995, 150 million

sold.) 1983 - Sony and Philips introduce compact disc

technology. 1991 - The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany patents MP3

format. 1998 - First MP3 players introduced (Saehan's MPMan,

sold in Korea). 1999 – Napster is created 2001 – Napster peaks at 26.4 million users - First iPod

introduced

MP3

MP3 files are compressed sound files, aiming to compress CD-quality songs without noticeably affecting sound quality.

The format removes particular sounds that most people cannot hear in order to reduce file size.

For example, if there are two sounds playing at the same time, we only hear the louder one, so the softer sound is removed from the file.

Digital Rights Management

DRM refers to computer programs that limit use of digital content such as MP3s, movies, and TV shows.

For example, a common DRM encryption scheme will only play a file on the computer on which it was originally installed.

iTunes and Wal-Mart no longer include restrictive DRM on music downloads, but Overdrive does.

iTunes still includes restrictive DRM on purchased movies and TV shows.

Case study #1: Union College

Starting in 2005, used iTunes sharing to increase CD circulation and generate interest in the library music collection.

Librarians created a playlist of new music from the Schaffer Library collection and shared it over the library wireless network.

Indiana Uni. – Variations ProjectLibrarians digitized recordings

placed on reserve, uploaded to a streaming server, and cataloged.

Allowed simultaneous usersOnly available to students in

the Music Library.Even so, increased use of

reserve recordings by a factor of 5 – within 1 year.

Reduced wear and tear on physical recordings

New York Public Library

NYPL uses Overdrive to provide users with access to digital music (as well as ebooks and other media).

Popular music coverage is minimal, especially in comparison to classical.

http://ebooks.nypl.org/

Issues

Access versus ownership of content Instability of access – e.g. company goes out of

business Less control over collection development

Licensing agreements prohibiting redistribution of content – e.g. circulating to patrons.

Increasing dependence on outside firms Very few competitors ‘Outsourcing’ of library tasks to for-profit firms

Difficult to find popular titles with appropriate licenses

Future of Library Music Collections

Increasing shift to subscription, access-based services like Overdrive.

Increasing digitization of existing music collections (CDs, LPs, tapes)

Possibly, more records.

More records?

While CD sales have dropped precipitously in recent years, sales of new vinyl records have increased: 2006: 900,000+ LPs and EPs shipped 2007: 1.3 million shipped (37% increase

from ‘07) 2008: 1.88 million shipped

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/nyregion/07vinyl.html

Questions & Comments