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by Scot Colford
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the zak |
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by Scot Colford |
Date: |
Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:17:00 -0800 (PST) |
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http://dbinfo.bpl.org/dbblog/
Digital Rights Management
February 7th, 2008 by Scot Colford
We often get questions about why people can't
download OverDrive audio books or video to their
iPods. Or sometimes, users are unhappy that they
cannot preserve that downloaded material on their
computers forever. Well, the Boston Public Library
does not necessarily own the material you download --
we license it. Part of the agreement that allows us
to license the material is the use of Digital Rights
Managment (DRM). DRM is a software add-on that
prevents digital files from being copied and
redistributed, just like the software that prevents
you from copying a DVD or a commercial VHS tape.
Listen, we all know that DRM is annoying at best. But
we're able to offer content that would not be
available to anyone in digital format otherwise
because publishers feel comfortable with DRM. I hope
that changes, but until then, we'll keep trying to
offer the best content to the most people.
Here's the official BPL response. Rest assured that
it was written by a real human being who knows what
he's talking about, namely me:
One of the most popular new services provided by
the Boston Public Library is OverDrive, a
vendor-supplied lending system for electronic
books, audio books, music, and videos. Digital
Library Reserve, the vendor from whom we license
this content has secured thousands of popular,
high-quality titles from many major publishers
under the condition that digital rights management
(DRM) measures are taken to ensure that the
material cannot be redistributed. Furthermore, the
specific DRM schema used on OverDrive titles allow
material to circulate for distinct periods of
time, permitting the library to honor its
licensing contract and to provide a service
paralleling the loan of physical material. No
personal patron information is shared with
OverDrive or other third-parties in the download
or DRM process. Please see the BPL privacy policy
for more information
http://www.bpl.org/general/policies/privacy.htm
While we are well aware of the frustration DRM
schema can cause end users, we feel that the high
numbers of use (nearly 100,000 downloads since
September, 2005) send a strong signal that our
customers want access to the material OverDrive
provides. For many years, the BPL has offered
material in a variety of formats that require
specific hardware and/or contain copy-protection
technologies (DVDs, Macrovision-protected VHS
tapes), but we've never been asked to discontinue
circulation of this material because not every
customer has the ability to use them.
Almost all of the titles available through
OverDrive are also available in other formats.
Customers who are unable to use DRM-protected
content can certainly access the same content via
CDs, DVDs, print books, and magnetic media. We
also provide links to several other sources for
digital eBooks, audio, and video that are in the
public domain, and therefore do not require DRM.
Boston Public Library is committed to providing
free access to community-owned resources and will
continue to search for partners who can provide
material to the most number of users possible.
Scot Colford
Applications Manager
Boston Public Library
scolford at bpl.org
Posted in General
http://dbinfo.bpl.org/dbblog/
- by Scot Colford,
the zak <=