[Web4lib] RE: Overdrive

[Karen Coyle]

You might want to calculate into your analysis of the price the "cannot 
be stolen" factor. I know that some librarians have touted electronic 
formats in particular for those materials that tend to either be stolen 
or simply not returned. (Someone posted that non-returns are much higher 
than items taken from the library without being checked out. - Was that 
here?) I don't know how much the prices exceed the items on disk, but 
you may get some savings (or be able to provide better overall service) 
through the timely return (also known as "expiration of loan"), and 
through the elimination of loss. Depending on how many electronic items 
your library holds, you should also calculate in the change in storage 
and re-shelving of materials. Naturally, any of this would be calculated 
against any disadvantages of the electronic materials, such as not 
serving a certain percentage of your patrons who don't have the 
technology to take advantage of them. It's going to be a complicated 
formula (most likely a good guesstimate), but it should go beyond 
purchase price.

kc

Jesse Ephraim wrote:
>> We offer access to Overdrive's audiobook collection and are looking 
>> into the video and music portions of it.  If anyone has started to 
>> implement this, could you send me your feedback and observations 
>> off-list?
>>     
>
> We have been looking at this, too, particularly the movie portion (we
> already have downloadable audiobooks from NetLibrary).  The part that we
> are struggling with is the way that you license the materials.  Unlike
> NetLibrary, you don't pay a subscription fee to have access to all
> content - you have to put together your own list of audiobooks or movies
> from their catalog and pay for each one of them.  The individual prices
> on the movies are in excess of the price of buying a DVD, and the
> individual audiobook prices are about the same as buying an audiobook on
> CD. 
>
> Jesse Ephraim
>
> Adult Services Librarian
> Southlake Public Library
> 1400 Main Street, Suite 130
> Southlake, TX  76092
> (817) 748-8247
> jephraim at ci.southlake.tx.us
>
> "A circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical
> knowledge."
>      - Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) 
>
>
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>   

-- 
-----------------------------------
Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle at kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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