LIBR 246-04/13 Web 2.0 (Spring 2010)

It's simple: when creating screencasts for its patrons, a library's best course of action is to know its intended audience.

Classmates have already touched on this in their posts this week. Ryan questioned the whether videos aimed at the student set are even worthwhile. Likewise, Carla criticised UCLA for making its videos too 'cutesy' for university students to bear. (Oh man, I'm loving that unintended pun!)

I wholeheartedly agree with Ryan that college users, especially ones on a deadline, are unlikely to sit through a slow, low-quality video to get their information. Videos are too much of a 'black box' -- the concept of sitting there, watching a video, without knowing for certain that it's worth your time and that it's the fastest way to get your information is just too much of a gamble. It forces me to be passive.

I think that libraries need to have a good understanding of what kind of videos their intended users are used to seeing, and what kind of information they're looking to find. Frankly, I'd argue that young adults aren't used to receiving information through videos without a high production and/or entertainment value attached. And high entertainment value is difficult to achieve, as the UCLA Library can tell you.

I'd say that screencasts, especially low- to medium-budget ones like libraries are most likely to make, would be best suited for an older crowd -- patrons who are tuned into the web, but would still like some hand-holding when it comes to walking through an interface. Or, it could be a good way to whet one's appetite to a new concept -- spend 1-2 minutes giving an elevator pitch about a little-known feature.