LIS 9763

Perhaps I'm coming at this slightly biased, especially considering I've been deep in the thick of media sharing, but I think these types of tools have the potential to revolutionize librarian. I'm going to withhold mentioning my concerns about content quality as we address that in our project this week; but I do want to talk about how the tools themselves can be used.
In essence, I find it exciting how media sharing tools allow librarians to service all kinds of learners -  visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners. It provides information at different levels of skill, background, and depth.

Flickr: I love the example of the Duke Yearbook photostream. I think this is a great example of how libraries can utilize media sharing tools to make elements of their collection not only readily available, but easily searched. Instead of looking through yearbooks for Joe Smith whom the user knows attended sometime in the 70s,  the user can go to the photo stream and search throughout the photos. Or look at tags and view all the images related to cheerleading.
YouTube: I'm not sure I quite see the appeal of youtube videos created by the library. It comes across a bit as an inside joke, content that is only entertaining to those who know the individuals. But that isn't to say that YouTube shouldn't be used. Quite the contrary! There is a wealth of knowledge on the site that once compiled, can provide a well-rounded package on a particular topic.
Yes, there is a lot of time and effort necessarily to embrace these tools. Librarians have to scan, read, vet, all those fun things. But perhaps it's just another way the role of librarian has to evolve. it has to become part of the process, an everyday element of the job. And like anything new, there is a learning curve -- but it tends to become easier over time. & these tools are so pervasive that it's in the library's best interest to embrace them now, ahead of the grain - rather than years from now, and be constantly trying to catch up.