ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 15, 2010—Electronic publisher Alexander Street Press has launched mobile access to its complete line of streaming music collections—including Classical Music Library, Jazz Music Library, and Smithsonian Global Sound^® for Libraries—making it possible for patrons at subscribing libraries to listen using internet-enabled smart phones and other mobile devices.

Says Alexander Street president Stephen Rhind-Tutt, “Mobile access is steadily gaining ground, and soon it will be the preferred way to access many different kinds of content. Mobile access makes it possible for libraries to provide even greater value and ease of access to their patrons.”

The publisher’s mobile access options include QR codes, or two-dimensional barcodes (see image). QR readers are readily available as free or inexpensive add-on applications, and many mobile phones come with QR readers pre-installed. QR codes can be auto-generated for every recording, album, and playlist in Alexander Street’s streaming music collections—patrons simply scan the image with their mobile device and start streaming immediately. Says Rhind-Tutt, “The QR codes are also terrific promotion tools for libraries—as QR codes grow in popularity, they provide an easy, fun way to steer patrons directly into content they might not know about otherwise.” Users can also send Alexander Street recordings and playlists to their mobile device using automatic email or SMS text options, or by navigating directly to a mobile-friendly URL.

At present, Alexander Street supports mobile access for all Android and iPhone devices, including the iPod Touch and iPad. Later in 2010, the publisher plans to release streaming access to its nine video collections, including American History in Video, Dance in Video, and Ethnographic Video Online. To learn more, visit http://www.alexanderstreet.com.

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About Alexander Street Press
Alexander Street Press is an electronic publisher of award-winning online collections in the humanities, social sciences, performing arts, and music. Music Online is Alexander Street’s fully cross-searchable suite of hundreds of thousands of classical, jazz, American, and world music recordings; scores; and pages of full-text reference content. Alexander Street collections are available to library and educational institutions via annual subscription or one-time purchase.

Reviewers, media contacts, libraries, and university faculty may request access to Alexander Street online collections by emailing Meg Keller at mkeller [at] alexanderstreet [dot] com ( mkeller [at] alexanderstreet [dot] com) or phoning 703-212-8520 x116 for a username and password.