Background and strategic fit
Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of the digital publishing industry. Used by every age demographic, they are key component of the library’s digital reading strategy. To provide support for this important format, and to make the customer experience on par with market leaders like Overdrive, Axis 360, and cloudLibrary, we are adding audiobooks to SimplyE.
https://goodereader.com/blog/audiobooks/global-audiobook-trends-and-statistics-for-2018
The project will include the integration of Audiobook player functionality and audiobook catalog materials discovery, lend and play functions of SimplyE. That work has a design and engineering component. The specific work will include integration of audiobook materials into the SimplyE discovery and borrowing UX. This requires a new audiobook player UI. There also will be a server integration component involving the Circulation Manager (CM). That work will specifically require minor modifications to the CM Admin Interface as well as the catalog’s and applications service gateway (e.g. interface to provider APIs for RB Digital, Bibliotheca and Baker & Taylor, and Findaway.)
MVP Scope for 3.0 Release
See use cases for details: Patron finds, borrows, plays, and adjusts settings for audio books in SimplyE
- Browse SimplyE catalog for audiobooks
- Search SimplyE for audiobooks
- Borrow an audiobook
- Reserve an audiobook
- View details page for an audiobook
- Listen to an audiobook
- View the TOC and select chapter to listen to
- Change audiobook settings
- Display icons indicating audiobook content type (Q. move the icon for ebook type to next release?)
- Accessible labeling of functions screens and buttons.
- Support only Findaway distributed content
Out-of-Scope
The following features will not be part of the 3.0 release and will be scheduled for subsequent releases.
- Non Findaway protected content (Overdrive, RB Digital, Open Access or Public Domain)
- Streaming content vs downloading the full audiobook is out of scope until we can support similar functionality from other content sources so the experience is uniform.
- As a PATRON using the WEB catalog, I want to Find and Borrow Audiobooks
- The Circulation Manger Admin interface and Web Catalog web apps provide librarians the ability to view, and manage their audiobooks in the circulation manager. Audiobook media types need to be properly displayed in the apps and their media type distinguished in the apps so librarians can manage their custom lists, content descriptions, and classifications. (Currently, the OPDS Web Catalog does not provide an indication of the media type or other functionality or indicator that would identify the book as an Audiobook.)
- As a User I want the application should to re-download resources should its network connection be lost and then returned
- As a user I want to see who the narrator is for a given title if available.
- As a user I want to see recommended titles of Audiobook I may also want to read
- As a user I want to see audiobooks by the same author or in the same series
- As a user I want to borrow audiobooks from the web so I can listen to them in SimplyE.
- Redesign or re engineering of Ebook Borrow or Read Views
- Integration of Audiobooks in the Metadata Wrangler
Symbol Libraries and Linked Resources
nypl.material.design.sketch: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KLEhHnfKvl7XLGW7CFOSFchKCz3BKB0M
nypl.master.icon.sketch: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_L4KDeJ_XcoOVptcnl6OGM3b0U
NYPL Digital Resource Library
SimplyE Audiobook Browse Collection Navigation
Questions (discuss with team whether these are these still open questions?)
Below is a list of questions to be addressed as a result of this requirements document:
| Question | Outcome |
|---|---|
| How will we support streaming content while the resources are downloading? Currently this supported by Findaway) but not supported necessarily supported by other Audiobook service providers such as Overdrive or RB Digital. | Defer this feature until version 3.X (Audiobook version 2) when Overdrive and RB Digital services are integrated. |
| How should audiobooks be represented in the discovery layer of the application? As a separate catalog, distinct navigation path or intermingled with EPUBS? | Provide an activity based interaction design, the "experience" (e.g. reading or listening) is chosen. While this will essential result in presenting the user with option to find or search for Audiobooks (listening) or Ebooks (reading) the information design does not preclude informing the user that the content they have chosen is also available in another format. It simply makes the discovery process logical and efficient for the user and supports established conventions users expect. |
