Volunteer CD Covers!

kri · Post by **kri** » June 14th, 2006, 9:41 pm

Liz, read some of Todd's (designcrit) posts above.

LibraryLady · Post by **LibraryLady** » June 14th, 2006, 10:11 pm

Whoa, I just had my attention drawn to this project - thanks to everyone involved, these covers/packages look great!

Edit to add: Just read through this whole thread. Very excited about the possibilities for donating to libraries now that these elegant packagings are available! I really love this place.

DSayers · Post by **DSayers** » June 14th, 2006, 10:14 pm

Colleagues: Just a note to say that, as a teacher educator preparing future teachers, packaging is everything in the classroom. Thus, CD covers mean a lot, providing a place to slip recordings into jewel cases, to be put away and pulled out easily for what are called "listening stations" in classrooms. Logistics is everything when you are dealing with 20-45 students! Offering an appealing product, not just a magic-markered CD, takes us to the next level ...

The more covers we can produce for our recordings, the more likely that students will reap the benefits of our efforts at voicing quality literature.

-denny mike

vee · Post by **vee** » June 15th, 2006, 5:02 am

Ok I'm really behind on this thread, but just so someone doesn't already do it. I have Call of the Wild broken up into 3 CDs already.

It's a little labor intensive, I haven't found a good way to break up the recordings easily yet.

designcrit · Post by **designcrit** » June 15th, 2006, 9:25 am

kri:

The catalog page looks great! Thanks for your work.

As for multi-disc labelling, that's a challenge. I'll have to mull it over a bit more, thinking of clarity and simplicity. First I'd suggest NOT burning WAVE files, if that's what you were saying, because of file size. I think the 128 MP3 format could be a "standard" for burning. We'll want to make a decision on that because it will directly effect how to set up a playlist. It seems certain that I'll need to revise Leaves of Grass to be a multdisc set.

Liz:

YES

If you can call around and find someone with NOPL who will meet with me the last week of June, I'd be very grateful. I'll be in town and could meet with them and maybe you. Will be on a family vacation, but will bring a few printed and assembled samples.

Drop me an email by clicking on my face on my blog. I did post a couple of general info email addresses, but no response.

Glad you like the designs!

kayray · Post by **kayray** » June 15th, 2006, 9:54 am

designcrit wrote:First I'd suggest NOT burning WAVE files, if that's what you were saying, because of file size. I think the 128 MP3 format could be a "standard" for burning.

Hmm. Mp3 cds only work for computer users and those who have newer, mp3-playing cd players. I would think a library would prefer audio cds that will play in ANY cd player. Better ask. I think we all assumed we'd be making audio cds -- hence the need for LOTS of volunteers to share the workload.

designcrit · Post by **designcrit** » June 15th, 2006, 12:11 pm

Hi kayray!

Yes, we want maximum usability. But, I'm of the opinion that the space savings is well worth any slight drop in users. Would you be more likely to print and burn an audio book that required 4 inserts, 4 tray cards, 4 face labels, and four burn sessions, or one of each? '

'

I'll wager 90% of our audience owns a player that plays MP3s. And the number is growing. Remember: we'd be planning for the future as well as the present.

Any new DVD player at K-mart plays MP3s, and most are priced under $100. Our old Dennon 1995 CD player plays 'em.

Peter Why · Post by **Peter Why** » June 15th, 2006, 12:25 pm

Possibly do both? mp3 first because it'll be faster to get the files available, audio files for people who've not got mp3 players. My DVD player will only accept audio disks ... I've had it for some years .. and I imagine a lot of personal CD players that are still in circulation can't handle mp3.

.... which will, of course, mean differentiating between them on the covers!

Peter

kri · Post by **kri** » June 15th, 2006, 1:28 pm

I think the majority of the population has regular CD players. I would strongly strongly suggest creating audio CDs, rather than just burning MP3s to a disc. This is a case where I think we would be doing ourselves and our audience a great disservice if we were willing to accept a drop in listenership to burn mp3 data CDs. I think it would be quite a large drop as well. These will be going to a public library, which is open to everyone. We want people unfamiliar with this our computer age to reap the benefits and see the wonder that is the internet. This project really wouldn't be possible as it is without the internet. I really think it would be a bad idea to narrow our scope like that.

I also don't think we should worry about scaring potential CD burning-volunteers off because they'll have to burn 3-6 CDs, rather than one data CD. I was planning to go through at some point to calculate how many CDs it would take for each book we have based upon their runtimes. That way volunteers can choose to submitt a book that only has 1 or 2 CDs if the CD count is an issue to them. If someone else is willing to help me and do this as well, that's great! I think the standard CD allowance is 70 minutes.

Starlite · Post by **Starlite** » June 15th, 2006, 1:57 pm

Unfortunately, the cd player in my car (got it for Christmas) will not play mp3's sigh. SO... I have burned Mark Twain's autobiography onto audio cd's for it.......... 8 CD's :o But its not all for waste as my mom will get them when I am done. Some cd's could hold only 2 chapters while othe chapters were smaller and I could get 3 on each. At 40c each thats not too bad but it is alot of work for cd covers too.

kri · Post by **kri** » June 15th, 2006, 2:12 pm

Absolutely Starlite. It takes time and money, and this project won't be for every LV volunteer. It will cost you the money to buy the CDs, and it will cost you the money to send them. It will also take the time to burn the CDs, but I think that if we're going to do this we need to do it right. I know it's a pain to have a big bunch of CDs, but...well you know how I feel

earthcalling · Post by **earthcalling** » June 15th, 2006, 2:14 pm

I must admit, my instinct would be to go for audio CDs, as that would alienate the smallest number of potential listeners. (Even then, some CD players won't play CDRs). But, as Starlite and others have said, it multiplies the work, the cost, the storage space...

liz · Post by **liz** » June 16th, 2006, 2:35 pm

Just wanted to keep everyone up to speed on the New Orleans Public Library side of things: Todd e-mailed them yesterday, and I called yesterday, and someone in their development office is currently looking at the CD project.

kri · Post by **kri** » June 16th, 2006, 4:15 pm

liz wrote:Just wanted to keep everyone up to speed on the New Orleans Public Library side of things: Todd e-mailed them yesterday, and I called yesterday, and someone in their development office is currently looking at the CD project.

Awesome!

designcrit · Post by **designcrit** » June 17th, 2006, 6:14 am

If we go with WAVE files (commercial format audio CDs) then we'll need to get special 4-CD jewel cases not available in most office supplies. Here's an example:
http://www.yesbuy.net/jewel-case-quad-cd-jewel-case.html
They are constructed to handle artwork differently too. Basically there are tray cards only from and back, giving only two surfaces for graphics instead of a minimum of three. The challenge there is fitting all chapters of Twain's biography on a tracklist. At least we're not recording audio cassettes!

2-CD cases have a standard insert and tray card, and the insert can be designed to be a 3-panel folder for a total of 4 panels for graphics.

It's a sticky problem, and one I'll need to solve universally before designing any more packages. I'm already redesigning Leaves of Grass, which will likely require tons of CDs to fit all 400 poems.

I'm also concerned that any older CD player that can't handle MP3 may also not play home-burned CDs. Hmm. Can we "road test" this in some way?

This is such a challenge that I think I must eat pancakes and think it over. Lots of pancakes with butter and syrup and bacon...

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