LIS 9763

According to Good  the biggest bonus of YouTube would appear to be promotion: YouTube is another area to connect with users, and let them know what we have available. There’s no question that our users are on it: the number one media sharing service to date, YouTube is practically a household name, much in the same vein as Google and ipod. The content is immense, and because just about anyone can upload media, the site offers something for just about everybody.

However, why stop there?

That was my biggest quip about YouTube and libraries: is there any use beyond as a promotional tool? Not that library promotion is a bad thing, but if the service is so great, surly we can get more out of it than that? Thus Webb’s article comes as a relief: yes, we can use Youtube in a library context for more than just promotional activities, a lot more. Webb provides a number of possible uses, including tutorials, virtual facility tours and answering popular questions, including how to find particular spots of interest.

Flickr too has its uses: Stephens provides an impressive list, from publicizing different library aspects and events to showing off the administrative board. The argumentative end tone of Stephens’ entry however, suggests that getting librarians on board with Flickr has been no easy task, and that even as libraries struggle to embrace new technology users are struggling to allow libraries to use such services.

Mind, it’s worth pointing out that even as these ideas are possible with YouTube and Flickr, they may not always be wise: we should also remember to be careful whom we catch on camera and film, and if we have authorization to post. A children’s library, for example, should probably create video only when younger patrons aren’t around, or when given consent to do so: catching those kids on video without parental permission could land into a world of trouble. Likewise, don’t post pictures of your boss unless he or she as given their okay first.

As far as the case studies go, McCracken Country Public Library is an excellent sample of using YouTube to meet their users, and having fun while doing so. I loved their little “banned book” segment, and Bob Dog’s “No place like home”. Orange county is another positive example: not only are the videos fun to watch, but the library’s “Channel” page is welcoming to those who stop by. I’ve seen enough poorly done account pages to know what a turn-off it can be, so taking some time to make the presentation attractive for holding presentations is worthwhile.