(9 Jun 2022) Ithaka S+R releases the findings from the most comprehensive survey to date of academic library streaming media approaches at four-year institutions in the US and Canada. The survey explored the range of vendors providing streaming media, acquisition models and licensing approaches, current and projected budgets, as well as libraries’ own digitization activities. Our key findings provide insight into how libraries’ streaming media strategies are evolving. Notable trends include:
- The impact on instruction is the top factor driving academic library decision-making related to purchasing and renewing streaming licenses.
- Streaming media is a growing segment of the library materials budget and is projected to double over the next five years.
- Libraries are not investing heavily in digitizing VHS tapes and DVDs
- Libraries in Canada and the US are taking a similar approach in their streaming media strategies, with a major exception being the extent to which their strategies evolved in response to the pandemic.
Decision making around streaming media licensing reflects the library’s prioritization of supporting teaching and learning in a budgetary climate defined by resource constraint. As streaming grows to represent a larger and larger proportion of library spending, libraries will need to articulate how this expense aligns with their institutions’ core pedagogical goals. Vendors hoping to thrive in this space will also have to demonstrate this alignment clearly to their customer base.
The full announcement can be found from Ithaka S+R.
