Demonstration 7: Video sharing sites (e.g.YouTube)

Evaluating the experience of using a video - sharing site

I have gone from having rarely used YouTube before I started TAFE, to using it quite often due to TAFE studies.  It is fairly straight forward except that other YouTube videos can immediately start playing at the end of the one you're watching if you are not on the ball and that can be a little bit annoying.

It was a seamless search to find a library-oriented video.  The keyword 'library' when searching on YouTube (searched on my browser) YouTube.com)opened up a world of library videos to explore.... It was straight forward to same the image as a png file them upload to the blog using the picture icon, and it was easy to use the video icon in the blog to upload and embed the video on the blog.  Given that video has become very popular in recent years and even more so during the pandemic, so people have adapted to video rather than in-person activities. With computer technology widespread in today's society many people have access at home & on their phones & tablets, not just in the library, to video-sharing. Overtime, video has become a more versatile tool, used for more purposes. Therefore, video-sharing sites are a very important tool for modern libraries and can increase accessibility for users, especially currently given restrictions due to the pandemic on movement, social distancing, and for people social isolating. 

How social networking could be used in a library

Libraries can make use of video sharing sites for lots of purposes. They can use them to do as the Tasmanian library in Launceston has done below for children's story-time, and other kids' related activities - how to make things, crafts etc.  They can use them to provide instructions on how to use their resources, such as using various parts of their e-library ('how to' videos).  They may also include access to other useful video sites where users can access videos from like LinkedIn for short courses people could undertake during the pandemic & so on (like Newcastle City Libraries is doing).  They also might ask users to post videos on certain topics or have a competition where users can post a video about library related themes, e.g. my favourite movie, what I did in the school holidays, what I like best about my local library etc.  The list is endless.  😊

I used the keyword 'Storytime' to tag the video so it would be easy to find in a search, and that is the content of the video.  I didn't add 'kids' to the tag as in libraries, storytime usually relates to children.  

Here is the screen shot of School Holiday Storytime with  Launceston Library: 

(Launceston Library, 2020, July 30a)

  

An embedded video of School Holiday Storytime with  Launceston Library is below:

Launceston Library. (2020, July 30b).