VITA and the library as publisher

We were so excited to see VITA member the County of Brant Public Library release their story anthology, Place Settings.

This compilation of short stories set in and around the library’s catchment area was edited by their 2016-2017 Writer In Residence Krista Foss.

The County of Brant Public Library have used their VITA platform to host the free eBook version of the book. Even better, they’ve included audiobook files for each and every chapter – read by the authors themselves! They’ve also used geotags to indicate the places mentioned throughout the book, from Burford to Glen Morris to Paris, Ontario.

“Place Settings is the final project of the County of Brant Public Library’s 2016-2017 Writer-in-Residence Program. This anthology showcases 16 unique non-fiction pieces by local writers about their personal connections to the County of Brant’s geography and history.

“The anthology includes stories that range from the singularity of a park or street to the drama of a storm or the tragedy of buried history. Stories in the work were selected by a blind jury of seven members that included librarians, historians, an editor and designer in addition to the Library’s 2016-2017 Writer-in-Residence, Krista Foss. Giller Prize-nominated author John Bemrose provides the book’s foreword.

“Included in this record are audio recordings of each story, as recorded by the authors themselves.“

Digital Initiatives Librarian Christine MacArthur let us know that the entire project was the initiative of Krista Foss:

“Using VITA to post the audio recordings was part of the original plan. She said she knew somebody who was a professional sound engineer, I said we could post the files to VITA….

“We were essentially really lucky in that we happened to have a group come together that included professional graphic designers, writers, publishers, etc. who all wanted to contribute something to make this grassroots idea work. That’s really why it was so successful—it was driven by the passion of everyone on the group. It wasn’t a top-down idea.

“The community loves the book, and I’ve definitely had a few people specifically say they enjoy the “extra” of the audio recordings that enhance the experience to the next level.”

The eBook is also going to be shared in Brant’s OverDrive collection, but the audio recordings and currently only available on their VITA platform. At the book launch party, they had “listening stations” available with staff members to show people how to access the audiobook chapters.

 

We love this innovative use of VITA’s ability to host multiple digital assets for an individual item record, and to create a multimedia experience for users! While the physical books circulate in the library’s collection, users who prefer the audio experience can simply navigate to VITA and download the narration, and patrons with eBook readers can save a copy of the PDF.

Have you put VITA to use in a clever new way? Have you built a creative virtual exhibit, used your contribution module to hold a remix contest, or used geotagged items to create an augmented reality experience? Let us know – we’d love to profile your accomplishment!