Connecting to LibraryU Live for "Day of the Digital Audio Book"

• Click on the following link which will bring up the LibraryU Live Conference Room
  http://67.19.231.218/v4/login.asp?r=6e841ba8&p=0
• Follow the login instructions on the screen in order to enter the online conference room for your session.
• Enter your name or a name you would like to be identified by during the session. If you use only your first name, you may find that someone has already entered the meeting room with that name. If that is the case, you can use a last name initial, nickname, or your full name.
• The first time you enter an OPAL online room, a small software applet will automatically download onto your computer allowing you to enter the room. The applet enables your computer to participate in the discussion. It is safe.

What do I need?

To participate in the event, you will need to be connected to the Internet, access an Internet browser, have speakers (turned on) to listen to the audio presentations, and a microphone connected to (or embedded) in your PC. The microphone allows active participation in the Conference Room using voice-over-IP (VoIP) to speak in the Conference Room. If you will be participating from work, your IT staff probably has a drawer full of PC microphones that came with new PC but were never installed.  If not, the inexpensive brands available at discount stores seem to work fine.These generally cost around $10.

Actually, the microphone is not mandatory and you may prefer to be that bright student in the back row who hears every word, ponders the ideas, but decides to stay silent this time around. That is perfectly OK.

Testing, testing, testing...

You may want to visit the LibraryU Live Conference Room before the day of the conference to save time and to make sure your computer is working properly. You may also want to drop by the room on Thursday, February 2nd, 2 P.M. CST or Thursday, February 9th, 10:00 A.M. CST to test your computer and meet the presenters Tom Peters and Lori Bell. These are optional meeting times to drop in and test your microphone and to have any technical problems identified and resolved before the day of the event. You can drop by anytime within that hour to say hello and give a virtual shout.

General Instructions for Participation in this LibraryU Live event:

The OPAL online conference room is divided into several areas. Below are brief descriptions of the major areas and the keyboard commands used to access these areas. Alternatively, point-and-click users may click on the desired areas.

• Speaking Using Voice-over-IP (VoIP) Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard. To lock the talk key, either access the File menu and select "Lock Talk Key" or press ALT and L on your keyboard. Locking the talk key frees up your hands, but no one else can speak until you unlock the key. If someone is currently talking and you press the talk key, you will be added to a talk queue and assigned a number in order of when you will be next to speak.
• Chat Conversations (displays tabs identifying and separating chat conversations involving you and other participants): Simultaneously press ALT and E.

  For the main chat discussion, press ALT and 0 (zero)

  For the first private chat discussion, press ALT and 1 (one)

  For the second private chat discussion, press ALT and 2

  For the third private chat discussion, press ALT and 3

• Chat Display (Displays the chat conversation): ALT + Y
• Chat Send To (drop down selectable list of all participants. Chatting with Everyone is selected by default): ALT + S
• Chat Typing (Field where you can type in text to send to others. Press Enter after typing to send you comments to the group or an individual): ALT + T.
• List of Participants (Displays a list individuals in the room): ALT + U
• Microphone Volume (Slide bar used to adjust microphone volume from left to right; left being minimum volume, right being maximum volume): ALT + J
• Speaker Volume (Slide bar used to adjust playback volume from left to right; left being minimum volume, right being maximum volume): ALT + K
• Browser Address (Field where users can type in a Web address): ALT + A
• Browser Display (an embedded browser window where Web pages are displayed) ALT + F5

LibraryU Live Demonstration Using OPAL

To help orient users to OPAL, please take advantage of our online tutorial. This tutorial illustrates the LibraryU Live Conference Room during an actual session. Through screen prints and annotations, you will get an idea of how to use the conference room effectively.

The following screen shot illustrates the areas of the LibraryU Live screen:

• 1 (blue border) - chat dialog box, if the text is too long to fit within the viewable area, a scroll box will appear to allow review of past chat messages
• 2 (green border) - text entry box. This is where participants can type in text, if they desire. Often people use this box to report a problem with hearing the speaker or to ask a question.
• 3 (purple border) - participant list. The participant list shows all people in the session. The microphone and speaker icons below the list are used to control volume and to request the microphone to speak.
• 4 (red border) - applicaton window. This browser based application window is used to display program content. The presenter may take over this screen to illustrate information. At other times, you will be able to navigate following the links you desire.

This is just a preview of the complete online tutorial. Please take a look at this tutorial before the "Day of the Digital Audio Book" to maximize your experience in this event.

Schedule for the Day of the Digital Audio Book - February 16, 2006

Presenters

Lori Bell
Director of the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center

Tom Peters
Founder of TAP Information Services, Project Coordinator for OPAL, and recipient of the ALA/Sirsi Library 2004 Leader in Technology Award and National Network of Libraries of Medicine Consumer Health Award

Bibliography

Peters, Thomas A., Bell, Lori, Sussman, Diana Brawley, and Ruda, Sharon. 2005. "An Overview of Digital Audiobooks for Libraries." Computers in Libraries (July/August 2005); 6-8, 61-64.

Session One 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Central Time
Introduction and overview of Digital Audio Books including...

• File formats
• Playback options
• Key functionalities and features
• Distribution
• Accessibility

Session Two 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Central Time
Considerations for Libraries thinking of offering Digital Audio Book including…

• Demand in the community
• Pricing
• Purchase and leasing options
• Consortia vs. individual library
• Administration
• File Types
• Order Systems
• Technical support

Brown Bag Lunch 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Conversations with expert colleagues currently involved in Digital Audio programs including

• Tom Peters - Unabridged
• Lori Bell - PlayAways
• Debbie Baaske - MyMediaMall

Session Three 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Central Time
So you have decided to offer digital audio books in your library...

• Advantages and disadvantages of going it alone and consortia
• Pilot or permanent service?
• Vendor choices and overview