Library Instruction & Youtube’s “Search Stories”

Youtube allows you to create your own “Search Story” video. Essentially, it is an online search-strategy tutorial that could be used for teaching undergraduates how to perform effective searching techniques. These techniques would be translatable to searching in article databases and library catalogs; but students would start on familiar grounds.  I love it!

Once logged into Youtube, you can simply do a search for:

search story

or click here.

You are then prompted to enter keywords and search terms into 5 different search boxes.

Next to each search box, you have the ability to select if Google/Youtube will search: web, images, products, blogs, etc.

Finally, you are asked to customize your “theme music” and give your video a name. Once you finalize your video, you can upload it like you would any other video. Follow the “upload” prompts by logging in to your account and clicking on “upload.”

——————————-

Teachers and librarians (librarian-teachers) could use this tool with students who have already chosen a research topic. They would then be able to get practice conducting keyword & phrase searches, nested searches, and even Boolean search operators. Students would then be able to share their videos with classmates and instructors while having fun doing it. I can’t wait to try this out:)

Keith Richards, Librarian

Says Mr. Richards:

“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.”

Keith, you’re the man.

librarian / teacher identity issue

There is much anxiety surrounding the duty of the librarian-as-teacher, particularly in academic settings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: I didn’t want to become a teacher, so I became a librarian.

Still in shock.

Check out the blog post.

a third of americans use library internet

Timely survey funded by Bill & Melinda Gates….and just another reason to support and value libraries and librarians. Also, really interesting data about a correspondence between information-seeking at the library and positive changes in diet. Libraries rock! Now, we need better budgets and better pay….

JING has a Facebook output button!

Cool!

If you JING, there is a Facebook outbook button in the *free* JING download. If you don’t JING but are curious, check it out! It has made reference work far more interactive. You can create videos on-the-fly and give patrons the url for quick access to your videos.

Have fun!

The Anarchist in the Library

Just found a new-to-me book by Siva Vaidhyanathan entitled The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System. (citation below). I am trying to educate myself about Intellectual Property and Copywrite and the controversy surrounding those laws. As predictable as I am, I flipped immediately to The Perfect Library, Chapter 8. Within a larger discussion about political and economic control of information, the author recalls an intriguing trip to Egypt. Contextualizing history and the future, Vaidhyanathan says of libraries:

“Libraries are never as placid as they appear. They are often sources of controversy and conflict. The better they are, the more dangerous libraries can seem” (118).

Has anyone read this book yet? I am curious about what you thought:) Also, any recommendations you could give for information about Intellectual Property would be greatly appreciated. I’ll have my eye peeled….

Vaidhyanathan, Siva. The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System. New York: BasicBooks, 2003.