GMLC is appreciative of the support it receives from the library and non-profit communities in Vermont. In addition to our over 160 member libraries and our roster of dedicated volunteers, we would also like to thank the following organizations for their support in the past:

  • AGNE - Associated Grocers of New England
  • Ben & Jerry's
  • Tennant Foundation
  • Vermont Community Foundation/Samara Grant
  • Vermont Humanities Council
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services & Vermont Department of Libraries - Programs are supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, through the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Vermont Department of Libraries. The generous support by the Department of Libraries through the American Rescue Plan Act will allow the Green Mountain Library Consortium to increase ListenUpVermont's collection size and bring greater ease of access to many of our patrons through updated software and technology

GMLC welcomes general donations and collaboration through grants. Please use the 'Get in Touch' to reach us.

 

The Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC) sets loan periods and loan limits in order to provide patrons with fair and reasonable access to the Consortium’s resources. The GMLC sets limits on the length of time that an individual can keep a specific type of material in order to more fairly distribute limited resources.

Listen Up! Vermont

Loan periods and loan limits for the Listen Up! Vermont collection shall be as follows:
·    One week or two check out period
·    Three items per patron, per check out period

The GMLC allows patrons to renew or re-download library materials as a courtesy to patrons who have not completed their use of an item. Items may be renewed as long as another patron of a Member Library has not placed a reserve or joined the waiting list on the item.


Reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors
February 2008

The Board of Directors of the Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC) recognizes the diverse nature of the communities of Vermont and the varied backgrounds and needs of all Vermont’s citizens. Materials in GMLC collections shall be selected based on the interests and needs of all the people served by Member Library communities.

The GMLC subscribes to the principles of intellectual freedom as stated in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Included in this statement is the commitment to honor the rights of an individual to use the library regardless of age, race, religion, national origin, or social or political views. Accordingly, the Member Libraries of the GMLC provide equal service to all users. Children and adults are equally free to use and borrow from the entire Consortium collection.

Selection Process

Library materials are selected by members of the GMLC Selection Committee for the appropriate project after consulting professional review media. Committee members consult with each other and with Member Libraries to review the needs of the Consortium as documented in circulation statistics and requests. Final responsibility for the purchase of materials resides with the Selection Committee.

Standards of Selection

Members of the Selection Committee focus on the following areas when selecting materials for GMLC collections:

  • Award winning titles and nominees, especially those awards particular to the State of Vermont, such as the Green Mountain Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, and the Red Clover Book Award
  • Titles with favorable professional reviews
  • Community and Consortium requests
  • Providing a range of both the popular and the esoteric

No library materials shall be excluded because of the race, creed, gender, political or social view of the work’s presenter. Only unabridged titles will be considered, unless a work of particular importance or with a strong anticipated demand is available only abridged.

The Selection Committee for the Listen Up! Vermont downloadable audio book project will seek to provide a collection balanced equally among adult titles, both popular fiction and non-fiction as well as language learning; classics for all ages, including the collection of Always Available titles; and titles for children and young adults, with a focus on chapter books rather than picture books for our youngest readers.

Procedures for a Patron’s Complaint on Selections

Complaints of any nature must be submitted in writing, on a Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form (PDF), from a library patron of a Member Library, to the Coordinator of the GMLC Selection Committee heading the collection in question, who will present it to the Board of Directors, unless an agreement is reached verbally in one short, private discussion.

In any formal objection to library materials, a complaint form must be filled out by the complainant describing the objection exactly. Forms are available from the GMLC web site. Following the receipt of such a formal complaint, the Board of Directors will arrange a hearing to include the Board, the complainant, and the Coordinator of the appropriate Selection Committee. This hearing may be completed by teleconference.
Materials under consideration will remain in circulation.

Gifts

The GMLC may receive funds for the purchase of materials as gift donations.

The library accepts these gift funds on the condition that their use is at the complete discretion of the Board of Directors and/or the appropriate Selection Committee. Stipulations as to the type, condition, or timing of materials accepted may be made, but may not be required. All donations become the property of the GMLC.

Weeding the Library Collection

The criteria used in selection will also apply to the removal or replacement of materials. Each withdrawal or replacement will be judged individually with reference to standard library selection tools and catalogs, available replacements, and to the existing collection.

Reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors
February 2008

1. What is Listen Up! Vermont?

Listen Up! Vermont began in early 2008 as a statewide downloadable audio book endeavor. Patrons can access a statewide shared collection any time of the day by going to http://www.listenupvermont.org; all they need to download an audio book is their library card or patron number.

Listen Up! Vermont is provided by OverDrive‘s Digital Library Reserve service, which allows libraries to circulate — that is, to check out and “return” — digital works. This is done through Digital Rights Management, or DRM. OverDrive’s service is different than consumer-based services like Audible, which allows only one download of an item, and the DRM prevents the sharing of a file across multiple users.

For more general information, see our Listen Up! Vermont informational page.

2. How does Listen Up! Vermont work?

Listen Up! Vermont works just like your physical library. The majority of the collection is on the “one copy, one user” model, just like your library. If a title is in high demand, the Listen Up! collection needs to purchase additional copies, just as your library would; if a title is out, patrons can place that title on hold. For some people, this is a difficult leap to make — we all know the digital file is there. However, this is the model that OverDrive and the publishers have agreed upon, in order to make works available digitally and preserve the rights and commercial interests of the publishers and authors.

A portion of our audiobook collection is “Always Available” — meaning they do not fall into the “one copy, one user” model. Any number of people may have one of these titles checked out at any given time. We have a similar model in place with our e-books and these are referred to as our Project Gutenberg titles.

3. What do my patrons need?

DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS

All patrons will browse and download directly at the Listen Up! Vermont site. Some libraries choose to download the MARC records for the titles into their catalogs, letting patrons know in the search process what is available in the collection. A link in the MARC record will take them directly to the web site.

PC – Patrons using a PC will need to download the PC version of the OverDrive Media Console. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading the OMC only needs to be done once (on each computer a patron might be using), and can be the most time-consuming step. Make sure to give your patrons the assurance that it is much quicker the second time!

Once the OMC is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to listen to the title on their computer, burn the title to cd, or transfer to a compatible device. Patrons with a PC and a compatible device may download and transfer mp3 titles.

Mac — Patrons using a Mac will need to download the Mac version of the OverDrive Media Console. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading the OMC only needs to be done once on each computer a patron might be using.

Once the OMC is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to listen to the title on their computer, burn the title to cd, or transfer to a compatible device. Patrons with a Mac and a compatible device may download and transfer mp3 titles.

Audiobooks may be directly downloaded to portable devices such as a an iPhone or a Andriod. For a complete list of compatible devices, click here

DOWNLOADABLE E-BOOKS

Note-  The software needed for e-books works the same for both a Mac and a PC.

Patrons will need to download Adobe Digital Edtions. This piece of software facilitates a patron’s check in and check out process, and manages the download and transfer of titles. Downloading ADE only needs to be done once on each computer a patron might be using.

Once ADE is downloaded, patrons will need to decide whether they are going to read the title on their computer or transfer to a compatible device. Once this software is installed and registered with an Adobe ID, patrons may transfer both PDF and EPUB e-books to an e-reader.

4. What happens when I am done with an downloaded item?

AUDIOBOOKS

The DRM agreements do not allow patrons to return audio books early. Our collection is currently set for the shortest allowable circulation period — 7 days.

Once the 7 days is up, the file on the computer will become unusable. You will have to manually delete it from your computer using the OverDrive Media Console (alternately, you can keep a list of what you’ve checked out by leaving the title in the OMC). However, the titles remain usable on the burned cds or transferred onto your compatible device — they do not expire after 7 days. You will have to rewrite over the cd or delete the title manually off your compatible device when you are finished.

E-BOOKS

You can either wait for the item to expire or you can check it in early using Adobe Digital Editions. 

5. How many titles can a patron have out at once?

Currently, patrons can have three items of any type checked out at one time.

6. How can I be sure I can pick up a book I have on hold?

Holds are held to pick up for three days; unfortunately, OverDrive does not give you an idea of when a book might be ready. You can see how far down the queue you are when placing a hold (ie, a note on the detail page of the title will say # of patron(s) on waiting list); if the number is 0, you will be next, with the hold becoming available within the week.

Encourage patrons to use the wishlist feature to keep track of what they would like to read, rather than filling up their holds queue and running the risk of having a hold become available when they cannot pick it up.

For the answers to more questions, including troubleshooting questions, please see http://vtaudiobooks.blogspot.com/search/label/faq. Please note that when we began the service, OverDrive did not offer any iPod-compatible titles, and that has since changed.