The URLs for streaming content were shared with faculty via email. The library circulation staff was charged with transcoding video (VHS tapes and DVDs) to the RealPlayer file format. Streaming file versions of personal copies of films were removed from the Helix server and were not archived. At the end of each semester, the staff moved these files from the Helix server to another server for “archiving” and possible later reuse. Streaming content from materials owned by the library were usually made available for the length of the semester. The limitations of the short viewing window and re-use served as a catalyst for faculty to request the library purchase those video titles with appropriate streaming rights. That interpretation may have been faulty, but it was the policy adopted when the MVS service was started. The limitation to a ten-day window was based on the Library Director’s interpretation and consideration of both the TEACH Act (2002) and the doctrine of Fair Use (17 U.S. The circulation staff had to carefully monitor the streaming of personal videos (titles owned by faculty but not the library), limiting the viewing window to ten days, and not allowing reuse in subsequent semesters for the same course. The library’s acquisition department purchased video content with the appropriate streaming rights, taking care to follow legal guidelines. At that time students were required to have a laptop computer. Students in classes with streaming content were required and instructed how to download RealPlayer to their computers. Though the library provided the monies for the server, other campus entities, such as the radio station, jumped on the opportunity to use the Helix server as well. Per the Library Director’s message, disseminated in the library’s fall 2008 newsletter, “lthough not technically a new service, the Library is now managing the entire process: from requests, to verifying copyright compliance, to streaming content, to providing links, to organizing directory structures, to cleanup and maintenance issues.” The library purchased a Helix Universal Server, which was then administered by the campus IT systems group, in order to stream RealPlayer (.rm) files. In the fall of 2008, the library rolled out Maxwell Video Streaming (MVS), taking on full responsibility for administering the service. In addition to the traditional library services offered to students, faculty, and staff of the university, the library began collaborating with the campus IT services to provide streaming video content in the early 2000s. Maxwell Library serves approximately 10,000 students of Bridgewater State University (BSU). Wilson and Ellen Dubinsky Introduction & Background This article describes the background of Maxwell Library’s streaming service, the current state of streaming services and technologies, Azure IaaS configuration, implementation, and findings.īy Robert T. With budget limitations, a flawed video streaming service currently in place, and University IT’s desire to move much of its infrastructure to the IaaS and cloud provider, Microsoft Azure, a pilot of a secure, multi-bitrate HTML5 streaming service via Azure Media Services was conducted. However, with CloudFront’s reliance on external media players and Flash via Adobe’s Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) to stream content, the upcoming end of support for Flash in 2020, and other security and accessibility concerns of library staff, an alternative method of delivery for this extremely popular and successful service was sought in summer and fall of 2017. This has provided a novel and low-cost alternative to various subscription and hosted platforms. Since 2014 this has been done through the use of the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) and their CloudFront content delivery network (CDN). Bridgewater State University’s Maxwell Library has offered streaming film & video as a service in some form since 2008.
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