Vol. 4, no. 1 — September 1997
Streaming Audio
by Geri Laudati
Mills Music Library has been awarded a $30,000 DoIT Instructional Technology grant to develop a CD-quality digital audio distribution system to stream course-related listening assignments via the Internet. In conjunction with the General Library System's electronic reserves applications already in place, the system will move us closer to realizing the concept of the virtual library, where audio and video resources are available to students as readily as are their print counterparts, from workstations at all campus locations and ultimately from home.
The grant will fund the purchase of a server, streaming software, a switched ethernet connection, and workstations for the Music Library. With the technical assistance of the GLS Automation Department, we hope to have pilot listening reserves for two courses, those of professors Lois Anderson and Todd Welbourne, ready by the spring semester. The project will also provide the opportunity to assess workflow issues involving the digitization and compression of sound files and to address copyright and licensing concerns surrounding electronic information delivery.
In its initial phase, students will be able to access course-related listening assignments from computer workstations in Mills Music Library. Further developments will include access from the School of Music and several Info Labs on campus, utilizing various campus networks. We will also work to provide modem access, although at present, this type of delivery supports only FM-quality audio.
We are very excited about this project and its potential impact on course listening assignments and the future of the audio facility. Progress reports will be posted to the "What's New" page of the Music Library website.
Articles In This Issue
Streaming Audio by Geri Laudati | A New Index to Music Journals | Don't Shelve That Journal . . . by Geri Laudati | MadCat Searching for Dummies by Mark Rosa | Workshops on Music Library Resources | Recent Donors | Sowerby, Gottschalk Compositions Arrive in Donations by Steve Kurr | Recent Faculty Publications | Where Have the New Books Gone? by Mark Rosa | Mills Music Library Hours