Editor’s Note: A handful of SCALL members attended the Internet Librarian 2008 conference in Monterey, California last October 20-22, 2008. Among their number were Gina Catalano and Tina Jagerson, Reference Librarians at the San Diego County Public Law Library. Gina and Tina graciously permitted me to reprint their articles here, after they first appeared in the November 2008 issue of the SANDALL News. Enjoy!
Designing, Creating, and Making Videos Work in Your Library by Tina D. Jagerson, San Diego County Public Law Library
The Internet Librarian 2008 Conference gave me lots of ideas for incorporating different technologies into our everyday use of the library. From blogs, RSS and podcasts to search engines and digital marketing, IL2008 had it all and then some. But I work at a Public Law Library and the thought of including “gaming” and “social” software on our computers was no less frightening and certainly impractical. I wanted to know how all the great emerging technology ideas from IL2008 could translate for use in a Law Library. MySpace and Facebook may not be the answer, but video tutorials and video marketing could definitely work!
I attended the presentation, Videos: Designing, Creating, and Making Them Work, by Heidi Schroeder and Emily Alford, both of Michigan State University Library. At first I was skeptical, but then they mentioned this fact: “People generally remember 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, and 50 percent of what they hear and see.” (Triechler 1967)
What a light-bulb moment. How better to capture and keep someone’s attention than showing them how things work, rather than just telling them. As David Lee King, Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library says, you have to connect the customer to your library—give them a sense of familiarity, invite them into your library and have them become active participants.
The presenters gave us a number of uses for videos in libraries, including: introducing the staff and the community to your library’s strategic plans; training staff; video letters from the Director; instructions on new library tools or equipment; patron classes and tutorials; marketing and public relations for library staff; virtual library tours; or showing patrons a behind-the-scenes look of various library departments.
As a law library, we get many patrons representing themselves who want to use our resources. Video tutorials introducing self-represented litigants to what they can expect in the courts and how the process works could be quite helpful for those entering the legal system for the first time, especially by themselves.
So how does one go about designing, creating, and making them work? If you aren’t lucky enough to afford outside professional help making your videos, use these tips I got from the presenters to help you produce your own:
What you will need to start:
Video or digital camera w/video capabilities;
Time to plan and create the video;
Video-editing software, such as Windows Movie Maker, Avid Free DV, Apple’s iMovie, Quicktime Pro, Power Director, or Ulead’s Video Studio; or try an online video editing agent like Jumpcut.com.
Making the videos:
Break events/scenes up into sections or modules;
Keep the video short;
Label how long each video is, so the patrons know how long it will take to view it;
Use icons, colors, arrows, different font styles and sizes to make the production more interesting;
Interaction is the key—”active learning is more beneficial than lectures alone.”
Now that you have an idea of how to begin making your video, you must “plan” out you feature. You will need to determine what you want to say and maybe even more importantly, who’s going to say it. Not everyone is comfortable speaking to a camera. If you can get George Clooney to host your video, more power to you; however, most of us will probably be taking volunteers from staff if we’re trying to keep cost to a minimum.
It’s important to get volunteers for obvious reasons. Those willing to participate and who aren’t afraid to be the front person will do a much better job. You’ll get a video that’s more enjoyable to watch if the person addressing your audience doesn’t have a look of fear on their face. Once you know who’s going to do the talking, you will need to plan on who will be the camera person and who will edit the material for final presentation. Planning out the scenes and dialog of your video are important first steps. Doing so will make production easier and keep time and cost on track.
After making your video, you’ll need to find some video software to edit and immortalize your handiwork. The presenters reviewed three free and three for-fee options. They also provided a link to their website that has a comparison chart of ten common software companies that you can review to help you decide which one is right for your library.
FREE software options:
Jing Project (TechSmith)
This one is the easiest to use, but has limited options;
Can be used with Windows or Mac;
Supports flash videos and still images only with no editing features;
You share your videos using screencast.com, or
Provides callouts and text captions for images, not videos.
Wink (Freeware)
Can be used with Windows or Linux;
Supports flash, EXE, PDF, postscript, and HTML file types;
Editing options are limited, but do exist;
Provides callouts, can add images, multilingual support, text captions;
Has templates.
CamStudio (Open Source)
Open source for Windows only;
Supports AVI and flash file types;
Provides callouts, PIP/video, text captions;
Has some editing features.
For-Fee options:
Camtasia Studio (TechSmith)
Can only be used with Windows;
Has lots of editing options;
Supports a number of file formats;
Special features: quizzes/surveys, scenario branching, TOC, file size control, animation/callouts, corp. branding, templates…
Cost: $299—Education and group pricing may be available; check website.
Captivate (Adobe)
Can only be used with Windows;
Supports flash file formats;
Has lots of editing options;
Special features: quizzes/surveys, animation/callouts, corp. branding, templates, TOC, multilingual support…
Cost: $699—Education and group pricing may be available; check website.
BB FlashBack (Blueberry Software)
Can only be used with Windows;
Supports flash, AVI, WMV, EXE, and PowerPoint file formats;
Editing options and special features similar to Camtasia and Captivate, including animation/callouts, templates, file size control…
Be sure to review the costs, if any, special features, usability, etc., of your chosen software. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the products to determine which one will be the most cost effective and useful for your particular library and budget. Also, check for free trials, as sometimes you can try the product to see if it’s right for your organization without going all in up front.
The best way to provide a successful digital community experience is to improve on the ordinary and make a connection with your audience; tell a story. You can always sign autographs later.
Ready? Lights, camera, action!
