Action for Libraries
Libraries Share Digital Media Costs
Via Consortial OverDrive Accords
by Sharon Hoffhines
In early 2005, Oregon State Librarian Jim Scheppke approached BCR R&D
Manager Ellen Fox with his vision of Oregon residents being able to download popular digital audiobooks routinely from their local public libraries. The challenge: individually the libraries could afford only small collections of the digital media. Scheppke asked Fox to talk with OverDrive to see if the digital media service was open to a shared collection of audiobooks for a consortium of Oregon public libraries.
With BCR acting on behalf of the newly formed Oregon Digital Library Consortium, an agreement was hammered out with OverDrive officials over the next several months. The agreement culminated in late January 2006 with the launch of Library2Go (library2go.lib.overdrive.com/), a shared digital audiobook collection for public library patrons served by Oregon's eight largest public libraries and public library federations — Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, Deschutes Public Library, Eugene Public Library, Jackson County Library Services, Library Information Network of Clackamas County, Multnomah County Library, Salem Public Library and Washington County Cooperative Library Services. Next year Scheppke hopes to expand Library2Go to smaller public libraries in the state.
The Kansas State Library — again working through BCR to obtain an agreement with OverDrive — followed Oregon's suit with a statewide cooperative, and on May 1, 2006, introduced the Kansas digital library: Audiobooks, Music and More (kansas.lib.overdrive.com/). According to Kansas State Librarian Christie Brandau, the digital media downloads are available to anyone with a Kansas library card, and the Web site has become part of the Kansas Virtual Library. (See accompanying article, Kansas OverDrive Program a Winner.)
Oregon Program a Success
Scheppke says that Library2Go already has been a huge success. "We really have had a difficult
time keeping up with the demand. I knew we were in trouble the second week after our 'soft launch' when I noticed that Paradise Lost had 20 reserves!" he said.
Teresa Landers, deputy director, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, agreed. "The consortium initially purchased 250 titles and shortly after added 50 'always-available' titles. This was not nearly enough, and we have been ordering more since including another round of always available titles," Landers said. New digital audiobooks are purchased for the collection as funds become available. A team representing the libraries in the consortium provide input to a selection committee concerning specific titles to purchase. Unlike the Kansas program, which is funded by the state library, participating libraries in the Oregon Digital Library Consortium share the cost of their program, and the consortial program has saved them money.
"We have saved our public libraries over $100,000 by having one shared OverDrive Web site instead of separate sites for each of our major libraries," said Oregon State Librarian Scheppke. "The BCR discount also added to our savings. Next year we plan to allow smaller public libraries to join, and they won't incur any of the start-up costs. This is a winner for all our libraries from a cost standpoint.
"Downloadable media of all kinds presents a huge business opportunity for public libraries in the future. We are grateful to OverDrive and BCR for partnering with us to bring this great new service to library users in Oregon," Scheppke said.