Appendix E: Choosing an Online Platform for Audiovisual Materials
Appendix E: Choosing an Online Platform for Audiovisual Materials
Many thanks to Ashley Blewer for creating and maintaining the Collection Management System Collection which helped inform this resource.
Digital audiovisual files often require their own set of considerations when choosing how to share them with users. For example, audio and video files can have several different related parts and their file size can take up much more room than manuscript or photo files.
Digital file storage focuses on the preservation and management of original, high-quality, digital files. Digital access, by contrast, focuses on providing users with a user-friendly means to access and interact with those files. For instance, watching a video on YouTube is an access point. But YouTube isn’t (or shouldn’t be) where the large preservation-quality video file is stored; the preservation-quality video file should be stored and backed up internally in your organization. This resource guide focuses on online access, not content management systems or internal storage options (though some content management systems provide both preservation and access options).
Note: Technology in a state of constant change may mean these recommendations have changed or become obsolete. Some good places to check for any updates are AMIA and SAA conferences, professional communities of practice, or the Collection Management System Collection spreadsheet linked above.
When choosing a software or streaming option to provide access to your digital audiovisual files, some questions to ask internally or of vendors include:
- What is the cost?
Some software might be open source, which means there isn’t an up-front cost to the software, but this can mean that there isn’t a lot of support available. Other software can be very expensive up-front. - Does the software integrate with other software or content management systems?
For instance, one popular A/V access platform, Aviary, can’t be harvested, which means that aggregators like the Digital Public Library of America can’t access those collections. Are there other integrations necessary for your organization? - How does the software provide access to users?
Can you provide differing levels of access to specific sets of users? For instance, can you set permissions for some people, password-protect sensitive content, etc?
- How does the software handle sensitive content?
Is there an option to blur images, add a harmful content statement, or restrict access to content? - How does the software or platform handle copyright?
For instance, YouTube might restrict or remove videos with copyright content. See this resource for more information on copyright for A/V materials.
- Does the software have the option to generate or include transcripts?
The Oral History Metadata Synchronizer (OHMS) can synchronize transcripts and index points with audio recordings, but the transcripts need to be created elsewhere (by a transcriptionist or software for that purpose