Hi John, This will be one of the defining issues for media librarians in the coming decade as at least some physical media is gradually being supplanted by digital-only options. Without sounding too George-Lucas-ish, this is the true dark side of digital--a stark underscoring of the fact that possession (physical) is the proverbial 9/10ths of the law.
I am increasingly seeing press releases that highlight digital-only releases--titles that have no mechanism in place for lending/showing in public or academic libraries. What's sadder is that these are not crap Hollywood rom-coms, bro-mances, and paint-by-number action flicks, but rather serious indie efforts and--most worrisome--compelling documentaries that may not have any real commercial legs. It's excellent news that you have a grant to explore possible solutions to this dilemma. I suspect that other VRT members are also very concerned about this issue. Best, Randy Randy Pitman Publisher/Editor Video Librarian 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr. Poulsbo, WA 98370 Tel: (360) 626-1259 Fax (360) 626-1260 E-mail: vid...@videolibrarian.com Web: www.videolibrarian.com -----Original Message----- From: John Vallier Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 1:34 PM To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu Subject: [Videolib] Online-Only Media and Libraries Hi Everyone, I have a grant this year to help propose solutions to the online-only music issue facing libraries (that is, music that can't be purchased on a tangible format and can't be purchased as a download by libraries b/c of restrictive terms of use, e.g., Amazon, iTunes, Google). More about the project is here: http://guides.lib.washington.edu/imls2014 This issue extends beyond sound recordings, of course, and into the world of video. For example, I was just asked to purchase and download a video that's only available on Vimeo. When asked if we could purchase and download the video for our library, Vimeo wrote: "The license issued to you when you rent or buy VOD work is for personal viewing only. It does not allow you to redistribute the work or show it publicly." Are any of you encountering this issue, i.e., where you can't buy a title b/c it's licensed for personal use only and there is no DVD or other tangible alternative? If so, could you let me know what the titles are (off-list is probably best, then I can share w/ the group). Having a list on hand may help convince creators, distributors and policy makers that a library-friendly solution is needed. Thanks, John _________ John Vallier head, distributed media University of Washington Libraries, Seattle http://guides.lib.washington.edu/vallier VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors. VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
