So Many Options, How Do I Choose? Streaming Video: So Many Options, How Do I Choose? There are many options for streaming video and movies available to libraries and more coming all the time. Join the Resources & Technical Services Section and the Technology & Trends Round Table as we look at some of the options and learn more about them from librarians who are familiar with the resources.  Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University My name is Angela Dresselhaus and I am head of electronic resources at East Carolina University.  I will be covering ECU's experience with Swank for streaming media used in academic courses.

Streaming for academic courses Public screenings for entertainment Photograph by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbeo52/ Swank Streaming for academic courses Public screenings for entertainment Swank has two sides of the business, the digital campus side that provides streaming video for academic classroom use and a side that licenses public performance rights  or (PPR) for cruise ships, museums, residence halls, correctional facilities, and so forth.  This segment will cover the digital campus side for use in academic courses.  I often field questions about screening a film for an event and I am able to refer the patron to the Swank representative that handles PPR. In a way I can say yes to the patron, even though the library does not usually fund PPR requests. 

Content Large academic streaming catalog Wide selection of studios: Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony Pictures, Disney, National Geographic Channel, Lionsgate, HBO, and many others The Swank catalog is very large and faculty at ECU often find it sufficient for their needs.  Many of the major studios are available through Swank, including Warner Brothers, MGM, Disney and many others. The catalog is available as a PDF and through an easy to use search interface. The search results include the images and all relevant metadata, which helps me book the correct film. Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University

Purchase Models “Pay as you go” and deposit accounts Bulk purchase of “tokens” to be used in a contract period Traditional & mediated DDA plans Curated collections Swank offers a wide variety of purchase models to fit your needs and I have found the staff to be responsive and helpful.   They offer ”Pay as you go” and “deposit accounts” for licensing single titles. The also offer curated collections that include most used films. Newer options include traditional and mediated DDA plans.  The DDA plan provides access to all 26,000+ Swank titles, but you only pay for the specific films your instructors need.  According to the Swank website, many libraries choose mediated DDA plans to control their budget. ECU uses a bulk purchasing option where we buy 100 “tokens” for the contract period and then we choose the titles as needed.  My best recommendation is to contact Swank if you are interested in expanding into streaming media. On a side note, Carolina Consortium members receive a 10% discount.   The contact is Sarah Kaestner skaestner@swankmp.com.

Workflows ECU uses our own online form and the Swank interface We fulfill requests on first come basis Email Swank to book titles The workflow is quite simple. We have created a form that requires contact details, course information, and number of students enrolled in the class.  Our form is general and covers requests for Kanopy, Swank, and other providers.  Swank has implemented a faculty request form that is available to instructors if they register for an account.  ECU does not use this as a primary method to request titles, but if we happen to receive one through the Swank system and we know it is from a faculty member, we process it.  We fulfill requests on a first come first served basis and we have been able to fill all requests for SWANK titles.  Booking titles on Swank is as simple as sending an email to the account representative.  The turnaround time is fantastic.  Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University

This is a view of the interface students see when they arrive at the general portal. Often, faculty use direct proxied links in their syllabus or in the course management software that take students directly to the relevant film.  Many people probably bypass the nice display of available films. The recent platform upgrades include a proxied link that faculty can copy and paste independently.  This saves me from having to assign library personnel to send out film links each semester. 

Great things about Swank! Hosted online 24/7 Students are used to streaming media Easy to link directly from CMS or syllabus In general, Swank is very well liked on campus.  The faculty can often find the films they need without substitutions.  Even when faculty can’t find the precise film, there are many others to choose from.  The Students are very familiar with streaming services such as HULU, Netflix, and Amazon, and they have come to expect similar services.  They don’t expect to come to the library to view the film at an uncomfortable desk, or worse yet, a dated media viewing cubicle! For librarians, managing streaming workflow through Swank is simple.  There is an administration module that provides the ability to customize the user experience, download usage reports, manage MARC records, and view licensed title information.  Everything I need to stay informed and manage our films is readily available. Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University

However... The video player is not accessible for those using screen readers and other assistive technology.  We also suspect when viewing deadlines are nigh, extremely high demand swamps Swank's servers. However, our disability access expert at ECU has found that the video player is not compliant with assistive technology. Our expert hopes to work with Swank to remove accessibility barriers.  We have also noticed the occasional rash of error reports complaining about access issues that tend to correspond to assignment deadlines in large courses. This could be either a form of student procrastination or the Swank servers bogging down under extremely high demand. It is hard to tell one from the other. Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University

Thank You! Slides: https://works.bepress.com/angela_dresselhaus/50/ Thank you for your time today! Angela Dresselhaus, Head of Electronic Resources East Carolina University