Demystifying the online library:Using multimedia to reveal functions

and uses of electronic resources

Justin ChrysostomLIS506, Abramovich

Users and the Library’s web site

• User roadblocks on the Web• Complex interfaces• Unfamiliar jargon• Counter-intuitive layouts

• User education programs attempt to mitigate these problems

Ineffective online tutorials identified

• Multimedia tutorial systems have been developed, however, they suffer from chronic problems:• Too rudimentary• Too complex• Proprietary• Expensive

Proposal

• A more effective and efficient tutorial program• Staff will “screen-capture”

interactions with the library website, highlighting how to navigate and interact, where resources can be located, and how they can be accessed

Adobe Captivate

• Screen-capture software that library staff can use to directly record sessions of online library functionality and use

• Ideal blend of features, simplicity and price

• Allows libraries to adhere to accessibility standards, a chronic shortcoming with existing tutorial programs and software

Captivate tutorials can mitigate confusion over layout and aesthetic changes

No matter the format, layout, or appearance the library’s web site takes, Captivate tutorials can be seamlessly updated and integrated

Implementation

• These short, topical recordings can be easily enhanced with audio narration, on-screen text, and a minimal use of relevant, highlighting graphics using Captivate software

• Embedded in relevant library pages, users can follow the video while synchronously interacting with the very web page being discussed

Library benefits• Minimal staff training, upkeep, and funding needs• Embedded links and YouTube gains the library a cost-effective

and reliable content host

User benefits• In keeping with information literacy research • Users have the ability to focus on their particular needs, at any

particular time, and at their greatest possible convenience• Less danger of users becoming “overwhelmed”• Allows libraries to guide users while maintaining a user’s sense of

autonomy and choice

Mitigating existing challenges

• Obsolescence • Simple and universal video format

may preclude a short lifespan • Compatibility• Designed to be operable across

different types of computers and software, platforms, and settings

• Dependencies• Adobe and YouTube remain

historically reliable and consistent sources

Evaluation

• Success of this program will be evaluated according to site usage statistics and user feedback• Options for user comments and

suggestions accompany every tutorial video

• The library can identify what sections of the tutorial are or are not being utilized and can adjust if necessary

Online tutorials can be just as effective as in-person instruction, and this tutorial proposal promises an

opportunity to provide a superior user experience, unprecedented accessibility, and lower cost of entry for library

staff and budgets. It utilizes theories and practices for online user instruction, does not require intensive hardware or

software requirements, has a familiar, established format, and is easy to maintain and update. It has the potential to

reduce library anxiety and increase confidence and patronage when users are faced with an unfamiliar or changing

webpage layout and organization.

Conclusion

Demonstration

Continued reading

Adapted from Rolla, MO public library. http://www.rollalibrary.org/

See full text proposal in UBLearns within the week

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jchrysos/library%20site.html

Video embedded in left margin with other accessible library help linksWebsite and video content for concept demonstration purposes only

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Vol. 27 Iss: 4, pp.684 – 693