PATRON: Performing Arts Teaching Resources ONline
- Project web site
- http://www.lib.surrey.ac.uk/Patron/Patron.htm
- Programme area
- Electronic Short Loan
- Contact details
- Dr. Elizabeth Lyon, Project Co-ordinator,
George Edwards Library, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 5XH
Phone: 01483 300800 ext. 3313 Fax: 01483 259500
Email: e.lyon@surrey.ac.uk
Project description
as of 24th July 1996
Introduction
A range of issues and problems are traditionally associated with short loan or reserve collections in academic libraries. Some of these issues are a direct result of the management and control procedures historically linked to the delivery of short loans whilst problems of access are related to new teaching and learning methods. Certain aspects are pertinent to the performing arts and in particular to music and dance where there are specific media-related problems.Many course materials are on video or audio CD and students and staff require special audio-visual facilities within the library for viewing or listening. These facilities are usually limited, frequently over-subscribed and equipment is prone to damage. In order to gain maximum benefit from the listening/viewing experience, the student also needs simultaneous access to the dance notation or the musical score.
The student may need to take both the score and the source material
out of the Library to use in an appreciation seminar in the department
(a common practice in the Performing Arts) and in a similar way, staff
may wish to borrow audio-visual materials to use whilst preparing
lectures or to play during a seminar.
There are also security and preservation issues: videos and CDs are
attractive items to thieves and a video is completely useless if
damaged.
The PATRON Project was conceived as a means of overcoming these problems and at the same time providing a better service to Library users in the Performing Arts.
Description
The overall aim of the project can be encapsulated in one sentence:"The delivery of high quality digital audio, video, scores and text on-demand across a high-speed network to the desktop."
This project mission statement can be sub-divided into a number of key objectives:
- the development of an innovative technical solution as a pilot or demonstrator system for the access, storage and delivery of materials on music listening lists, dance viewing and reading lists;
- the provision of World Wide Web access to modular listening and viewing lists from the Library OPAC;
- digital encoding and storage of CDs and videos on a media server;
- transmission of digital materials using MPEG protocols over dedicated advanced high-speed networks e.g. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) lines;
- on-demand delivery of materials to the desktop within the Library and Performing Arts departments with simultaneous distribution of music scores and audio CDs/dance notational scores and video clips;
- an evaluation of the novel learning environment for music and dance students created by Project PATRON;
- the exploration and management of copyright and licensing issues associated with digital libraries in the Performing Arts.