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Internet Librarian 2010: The ubiquity of screens
By karen | October 27, 2010
One of the pervasive concepts throughout the conference is the ubiquity of screens. And if you stop and think about it, screens are everywhere. Increasingly they are how we interact with the world, whether it be at the ATM machine, the supermarket, through our handhelds, our computers, our home entertainment systems. And all of these screens are competing for dwell time, the time we focus our attention and consume their message. Think of the gas station where you are innocently pumping your gas, riveted by a brief video on why that particular gas is superior, or perhaps catching a few minutes of the news.
In a screen-filled world, where does the library find its place? We have lots of screens, but do we leverage them in a way to broadcast our message? Do we present information the way people expect to find it? Do you have a screen as you enter the library broadcasting the programs, events and resources available to patrons on that day? Do you place screensavers branding and promoting library resources on your public computers? In the 21st century, does the library become the screen, available everywhere?
The current medium is video. I’ve attending several sessions showcasing how video is increasingly important to libraries and is the medium of choice for college students and younger. And nowadays, video is relatively easy to produce. Many libraries are making videos with point and shoot cameras and editing the product in free software such as Moviemaker (PC) or iMovie (Mac). Short, simple yet entertaining videos on how to use library resources, such as those created at McMaster University. According to Krista Godfrey from McMaster, 71% of academic libraries are using video in some way to educate students about library resources. (Disclaimer: poll is of Canadian libraries and is still in progress).
Want to see what libraries are doing with video? Check out youTube. And if you want to see some interesting videos on libraries, check out This Week in Libraries from Erik Boekesteijn and Jaap Van de Geer of the DOK Library Concept Center in the Netherlands. Then, just for fun, check out David Lee King and Michael Porter’s Hi-Fi Sci-Fi Library, which features a number of prominent librarians. Think of the possibilities for screens and video in your library. And think about what RI librarians can do in this medium to promote libraries . . .
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