LIS 9763

Media sharing tools, such as Flickr and YouTube, could be a really great way for libraries to showcase their collections, provide education, communicate with the public, and help people use the library.  There are many different types of photos or videos that could be shared with library patrons what would benefit both the library and the users.
Digital collections, such as those from the Library of Congress or the University of Michigan, are a great way to get people thinking about what the library can do for them.  By sharing these images on Flickr, the libraries are reaching a wider audience than their usual patron base, and they are demonstrating that libraries have interesting and relevant collections.  People searching for a particular topic may not know or think that the library would have what they are looking for, but a simple Flickr search would turn up these collections, in addition to any other images of that topic.  Also, many special collections, especially archives, usually have restricted public access.  Users need to sign in and must come during certain visiting hours, and they often cannot take materials with them.  This tends to mean that only dedicated researchers go to the effort of actually viewing the collection.  By digitizing and sharing archived materials, these logistical restrictions disappear and it becomes easy for anyone who is interested to view the archives. 
Photos and videos, such as the GT Mechanical Engineering videos, can also be used to help instruct patrons on how to use the library and its resources.  This media is many times more effective than a printed list of instructions that one might find on a 'help sheet' because the video shows you exactly where to look and what to do while using the resources, while the voice over explains what is happening.  It is as if someone is sitting right there beside you, demonstrating the activity.  Libraries can use these tools to provide bibliographic instruction, something that patrons are often reluctant to ask for in the library these days, but which might be a very valuable addition to a library webpage.
A third use for media sharing is for communication purposes.  Libraries can showcase previous events, advertise upcoming ones, and provide information about the library by posting videos and pictures containing this information.  People can see all of the great things that their library has to offer, and the library can benefit from some good (and free) PR.