Ottawa Public Library is offering access to a digital music collection.
Aside from a few nostalgia-loving members of the population, people don’t buy records anymore.
No one rushes out to pick up the latest Katy Perry cassette and they definitely don’t wait in line to buy the newest Arcade Fire 8-track.
Technology has changed and just as news outlets, corporations and governments are constantly trying to adapt to new technology, the Ottawa Public Library has taken a major step towards a digital future.
The OPL launched its Freegal Music collection two weeks ago and has already been well received by library patrons.
“We’ve had a lot of people come up to the information desk just wanting a bit more information about it, asking a lot of questions,” says Tara Wong, co-ordinator with digital services at the OPL. But patrons aren’t only asking about the collection, they are already actively downloading music.
“So many people are using (Freegal) it’s kind of killing our website,” says Wong. Media reports of the launch definitely piqued patron interest and brought more users to the site than usual, she says.
With all the downloading going on, the OPL may consider increasing the library’s download cap, which is currently set at 500 songs per week for the entire city.
“We’ll see how that turns out, and we’re going to have to see if the cap is set high enough,” says Diana Pepall, program manager for collection management at the OPL. If Freegal’s popularity continues, Pepall says the OPL will consider purchasing a larger subscription from Library Ideas, the third-party provider of the Sony Music Catalogue.
Just as the OPL has a weekly cap so do patrons. Users of Freegal are limited to three music downloads per week.
“This is just to try and provide equal access across the board,” says Wong.
Equality indeed, while the program may seem more geared to the technologically savvy, Pepall insists Freegal is for everyone.
“It is geared towards everyone, (and) we’re hoping, generally, that it will attract more people to the library,” says Pepall. “All ages are interested in music.”
Speaking of music, the collection, available to all library patrons, is provided by Sony, who owns 35 per cent of the music available in the market worldwide, according to Pepall.
The collection includes a large range of music from French to classical to world to rock and pop. Users might even find something they never thought would interest them, says Pepall.
“We believe (music) is a cultural resource, and there are all sorts of studies that show the importance of music in people’s lives and in people’s intellectual development,” says Pepall.
Interested in browsing and downloading from Freegal?
All you need is a library card and a computer. By logging on to the OPL website, users can access the music on Freegal.
Once the user chooses which song they want, they click download and it’s theirs forever – no returning necessary.
“We’re a library, so people expect to have to return it, and the fact that they get to keep it for personal use for as long as they have the file is a huge, huge benefit to them,” says Wong.
And don’t expect Freegal to go anywhere.
Based on the response the OPL received over the first weekend, this digital music download collection is here to stay.