Audiobooks on BoostBoost RelationshipsRelationships withwith NISTNIST Scientists: Scientists Keeping Them Current with Management Trends

Technology Services, Information Services Division Nancy Allmang, [email protected]

Who We Are The National Institute of Standards and Technology What We Learned What We Learned, cont. Our Solution, cont. We began in July of 2007 with two 5th generation video (NIST) develops and promotes measurement, About digital media players: checked out for a specified time period, tracked, and standards, and technology to enhance security and downloaded from library web sites. At this time they iPods, and 6 audiobooks on each. Over the ensuing improve the quality of life. The Information Services - Apple®* media players (iPods) have an intangible cannot be played on iPods. months as demand grew we added 6 more iPods Division provides professional, scientific/technical “coolness factor” that appeals to customers (iPod Classics). We now are circulating a total of 39 information assistance to NIST research staff. The - iPods have the largest U.S. market share of all We decided to use Audible® audiobooks because they audiobooks on 8 iPods. media players NIST Research Library holds approximately 300,000 are in the format iPods require and it is simple to We developed a Responsibility Agreement for each - iPods have video screens that permit viewing of science and engineering volumes. download and transfer them to iPods. We made our borrower to sign, instructions, and complete listings of movies choice in spite of the fact they cannot easily be audiobook titles by iPod. tracked by library circulation systems, downloaded by multiple customers , and do not “expire” after a About Audiobooks specified checkout period. Videos Digital versions of books read aloud We asked the NIST audio-visual Advantages/Features: The Options department to convert popular - permit maximization of time 1. Load Leadership and Management audiobooks into one-hour internal lecture series - allow for multitasking our ILS films to MP4 format that play on - portable + Customers download the iPods. We are in the process - play on a digital media player - Can’t be played on iPods now of loading them onto all of the iPods. for 4-6 or more hours Apple® iPods + Predictable or predetermined costs 2. Purchase each audiobook on customer demand Usage Useful for books that users read cover to cover. About copyright protection - Library staff download The iPod program has been wildly popular. In its There are two types of copyright protection currently + Playable on iPods first 9 months, customers checked out a total of Why Do Our Scientists Want Them? used for audiobooks: - Costs can’t be projected 256 audiobooks! Digital Rights Management (DRM), used with Acquired July Average Usages Neither of these choices was acceptable to us. 2007 over 9 Months - Extend their knowledge into new Windows Media Audio (WMA) audiobook areas: Leadership and Management Our Solution Print Books 1 FairPlay®, used in Apple® Audiobooks 6.6 To avoid all hardware and software conflicts, we - Increase available time for learning (AAC) audiobook files decided to circulate the hardware: Usage of books purchased in July 2007 The differing technologies are responsible for New audiobooks received more than 6 times the The Research Library had not offered audiobooks in player/audiobook hardware and software - iPods pre-loaded with 4-6 Audible audiobooks usage of print books acquired that same month. the past because most of its collection consists of incompatibilities. - Protective case science and engineering technical books, handbooks, - Wall charger Summary and textbooks. Researchers most often use scientific - Disposable earphones Digital Media Player Audiobook File Type Digital Rights - Customers multitask, learn about management books to locate specific bits of information—frequently Management - 4-week checkout period - We provide what customers want creatively, visual information—but do not necessarily read them MP3 (such as Creative, WMA (Windows) DRM ; straight through or in their entirety. For this reason, Samsung, Toshiba, without a major expenditure the audio format is not particularly useful for scientific others) - We serve a niche need for busy scientists in a books. iPod (Apple®) AAC (Apple®)FairPlay® “cool” way -- Types of di g ital ri ght s pro tec tion - Library is perceived as innovative, and Leadership and Management books, on the other customers have opportunity to try iPods hand, are very well suited to a “listening style” of -- receiving information, as they are meant to be read About audiobook vendors cover to cover and contain minimal visual data. OverDrive® and NetLibrary® make audiobooks *The identification of any commercial product or trade name does not imply intended for use with library software. They can be endorsement or recommendation by the National Institute of Standards and We use free software to load audiobooks onto the iPods Technology.

Special Libraries Association Conference, Seattle: Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics Division, June 2008