The University Library introduced video and streaming video to its Online Course Reserves Access system on Monday, adding to the audio offerings already provided by the system.
The addition of video to OCRA is intended to increase flexibility so faculty members will be able to provide different forms of media for their classes in one place, said Stephanie Birdsall, library external relations and development officer.
OCRA makes materials on reserve more accessible, Birdsall said. "Wherever and whenever students want to access these resources, they are able to do so, which is a dramatic improvement over the old system," she said.
OCRA is designed to work in conjunction with the MyCourses digital course-management software provided by Computing and Information Services. "Many faculty have neither the time nor the expertise to scan and upload their own materials. The interface and the scanning are taken care of by the library. Part of the benefit of OCRA has been a significant increase in the use of electronic resources paid for by Brown," Birdsall said.
The library hopes to continue expanding the variety of media offered by OCRA. In addition to video and streaming video, Birdsall said the library is considering ways to incorporate images into the system and is continuing to tweak OCRA so it is easier for faculty and students to use. "We also continue to work on how to incorporate eBooks into OCRA, which is often a challenge given the different licensing and different delivery methods of the various eBook providers," Birdsall said.
OCRA was first implemented with 97 classes in Spring 2004 and grew to 279 classes and 2,898 items in Fall 2005. Last semester, OCRA hosted 4,335 unique audio and text-based items for 345 classes. So far this semester, 359 classes have registered with the system.
OCRA has been well-received by faculty and students, according to Shelley Lonergan, a manager in Gateway Services, which oversees the library's course reserves.
"We get very few complaints from faculty and students," Longergan wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Occasionally faculty will contact us because they are having difficulty using the system, and we walk them through it. That happens very rarely, however. By and large, faculty find it very easy to use. ... Faculty and students find it very, very convenient."
Despite the relatively small number of complaints received by the library, some students are not happy with OCRA.
"Not only is the system unnecessarily complicated, but there are also several levels of redundancy which make me feel as though I'm choosing the same options over again and still not getting closer to accessing the reserved material," said Akram Abed '09.
In addition to difficulties with what he described as the convoluted login system, Abed was particularly frustrated by the fact that, for several of his classes, some necessary material was not posted.
