ILA ACRL 2012 - Session 4 - Ready to Stream? Investigating Offering Online Video Content for Courses

In the final time-slot of the afternoon, Amy Paulus, from the University of Iowa, presented Ready to Stream? Investigating Offering Online Video Content for Courses.

The U of I had the (rare and wonderful) instance where there was a surplus of collection funds available for use and decided to partner with their Film Studies department to form a partnership for a pilot video streaming program.  Paulus clearly articulated some of the considerations to keep in mind when beginning a program like this:

• Manpower (both within the library and with someone with expertise in using the necessary technology)
• Vendor with the content available and/or server space for ripped content
• Someone with the expertise to review and negotiate license agreements 
• The equipment and ability to rip DVDs
• Linking URLs
• Communication with instructors (before during the planning & after, as they are using the videos)
• Cataloging (for long-term or perpetual access items)
• Technology (being sure the content is password protected, and computers are equipped with the proper software to work with the materials)
• Funds (licenses aren't cheap, neither is storage or staff time)

Paulus summarized some of expense totals, noting the cost of digitizing and storing a title or purchasing digital access, along with licensing averaged to $148.76 (some of which weren't perpetual access, but may have to be renewed in the future); they were able to provide streaming access to 75 films.  This pilot project impacted fewer than 100 students.  She noted that this project took significant staff time, but the feedback from the professors was positive and they would like to see the service continue. Distance education classes particularly loved it (I'm sure for the convenience of being able to stream materials rather than track them down locally).  In the future Paulus noted that instructors may request online content/streaming and the library will do their best to make it available if it is provided through a vendor, but because ripping and converting content was so time consuming, they would not offer that aspect of the service in the future.  

One alternative to finding vendors or in-house ripping/licensing negotiation, etc. is Films on Demand--perhaps not the fanciest resource for connoisseurs of film (as this pilot population is), this database holds films on a wide variety of topics and allows for streaming, showing of just a segment of a film, and creating playlists on certain topics.  For an institution the size of GV and with our budget, Films on Demand is a much more reasonable resource and adequately fills the current needs of the learning community we serve.