LibraryLearn – Creating a One-Stop-Shop for Library Videos – Best Practices

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LibraryLearn – Creating a One-Stop-Shop for Library Videos – Best Practices

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LibraryLearn

Creating a One-Stop-Shop for Library Videos

Presented by Michelle Keba, Jamie Segno, and Michael Schofield

Project Overview

Needs Assessment

  • Undergraduate (21%)
  • Graduate (64%)
  • Professional (15%)
NSU awards bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, professional, and specialist degrees in education, business, social sciences, health professions, law, marine sciences, and other disciplines. Current enrollment nears 27,000 students with a unique breakdown of approximately 21% undergraduate, 64% graduate, and 15% professional students.
  • Local (76%)
  • Distance (National) (22%)
  • International (2%)
Of these students, approximately 22% attend classes outside of Broward County, of which, 2% attend classes at international sites.
NSU has distance education programs in 12 countries, Puerto Rico, and 16 states including Florida. With so many students participating in a distance education program, the library’s instructional videos provide an invaluable resource for students in need of asynchronous library training.  

What's the problem?

User Experience

  • No single video location
  • Accessibility concerns
  • Device incompatibilities
  • No persistent URLs
In terms of user experience, these inconsistencies left students without a centralized location to find library tutorials. Moreover, diverse video formats potentially hindered the ease and fluidity of viewing multiple recordings, disrupted accessibility compliance, and resulted in incompatibility issues among different mobile devices.  Additionally, existing videos uploaded through some platforms, such as YouTube, were not always available to students in other countries and, even when available, a video’s URL usually changed whenever the video was updated.

Content Creation

  • Lack of video inventory
  • No system for updating
  • Loss of original files
In terms of content creation, librarians lacked an efficient process for taking inventory and updating existing videos, which often resulted in duplicated work efforts, diminished productivity, and loss of original videos files upon staff departures.  

librarylearn

In order to overcome these challenges, a team of NSU librarians came together to investigate the best practices for creating, maintaining, and hosting videos as well as how to lead a video reorganization project through a transformational change that would result in the creation of the LibraryLearn platform.
In the end, we decided to create our own platform to host library videos, which has evolvscreened into the creation of LibraryLearn. (It’s homepage is pictured on the.)

Project Overview

Best Practices

Throughout our investigation, we reviewed recent literature from other institutions, which we will discuss in more detail as we demonstrate the features of LibraryLearn. Our investigation also included a thorough examination of existing video platforms options such as YouTube, TeachTube, etc.: -Ferris State University Big Rapids, Michigan -University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign -Florida Atlantic University -University of Tennessee Libraries

Content and Length

-important information introduced at the beginning of the video (Bowles-Terry et al., 2010) -clean straightforward manner, can be utilitarian rather than overly flashy (Bowles-Terry et al., 2010) -standardization through the use of a common introductory slide and a final slide with a summary of the video’s most important points (Ergood et al., 2012) -Include captions to not only meet accessibility standards, but also for viewers who do not have access to computer speakers as well as English language learners who might benefit from processing the information both visually and aurally (Bowles-Terry et al., 2012; Ergood, Padron, & Rebar, 2012) -short and to the point (Anderson & Mitchell, 2012; Bolorizadeh, Brannen, Gibbs, & Mack, 2012; Bowles-Terry, Hensley, & Hinchliffe, 2010; Ergood, Padron, & Rebar, 2012) -modular (Anderson & Mitchell, 2012)

Multiple Learning Styles

An individual video’s page, as pictured on the screen, includes a 16:9 widescreen area with a short description of the video, links to related resources / library guides, the option to download the sound file or transcript, and suggested related videos. This related content helps appeal to multiple learning styles for students that prefer a more static presentation. The related videos option helps keep individual video lengths short and modular. Notes (if asked): -modular (Anderson & Mitchell, 2012) -short and to the point (Anderson & Mitchell, 2012; Bolorizadeh, Brannen, Gibbs, & Mack, 2012; Bowles-Terry, Hensley, & Hinchliffe, 2010; Ergood, Padron, & Rebar, 2012) While several studies (Anderson & Mitchell, 2012; Bowles-Terry, Hensley, & Hinchliffe, 2010; Mestre, 2010) encouraged librarians to create multiple formats which would appeal to students’ various learning styles, a recent study by Mestre (2012) found that students actually preferred and performed better when using a static web page tutorial as opposed to a screencast tutorial. In their article Bolorizadeh, Brannen, Gibbs, and Mack (2012), also highlight the increasing use of mobile devices. As mobile use increases, librarians should ensure that their videos will be mobile friendly.

Point of Need

In addition to providing a centralized location for finding library videos, LibraryLearn also provides persistent URLs for all of its videos. This means that if the video is ever updated, the links will not change. This allows us to link to videos in Library Guides, Blackboard modules, and any point of need without having to worry about link breaking in the future. Students and faculty can also bookmark these videos since they will always feature the most up-to-date version. Notes (if asked): -Point of need (Bolorizadeh, Brannen, Gibbs, & Mack, 2012; Bowles-Terry, Hensley, & Hinchliffe, 2010; Ergood, Padron, & Rebar, 2012) -We also needed a centralized location so that libraries are aware of all the available videos Bowles-Terry, Hensley, and Hinchliffe (2010)

Shared File Storage

The first advantage was Systems’ development of a shared media folder that can be accessed by all NSU Librarians. This designated area for all of LibraryLearn’s original video files will help prevent future data loss upon staff departures.

Consistent File Naming

Through this process, we have also developed a systematic file naming convention to be used for all video files, which will help keep files organized and increase efficiency.

Project Overview

LibraryLearn is also device agnostic, meaning that it has a mobile-first design and does not include Flash format videos so it will work on all devices. This is particularly important since mobile devices are becoming the primary method of Internet access (Rainie & Anderson, 2008) (Bolorizadeh, Brannen, Gibbs, & Mack, 2012)
  • own a smartphone: 83%
  • mobile mostly: 34%
As of January 2014 from the Pew Internet Research Project Mobile Technology Fact Sheet: 83% of 18-29 year olds own a smart phone. -

Content Modeling

As a resource for staff, the dashboard for LibraryLearn has been enhanced to include step-by-step instructions for creating these individual video pages. If any required fields are missing, the page will not go live. All NSU librarians can enter data into the dashboard and then notify one of their department representatives to review and publish it. Once the individual video page is published, the video will appear in the browse and search sections of LibrayLearn.
Another advantage of LibraryLearn is that it has been designed with the ability to have granular control over how content is displayed and when which content is displayed in certain circumstances. By dividing the process into multiple parts, we can control which content will be visible on certain devices. For example, since mobile users do not need to download the video, that option will be omitted when viewed on a mobile device. Note (if asked): The black part is PHP, and the white part is the JSON (pronounced “Jason”) data that can be used to dynamically syndicate content.

Smart and Dynamic

If ever desired, LibraryLearn videos could also be pulled onto pages on the library’s website. For example, if a user is browsing a specific subject database list, the website can automatically query LibraryLearn to see if there are any topically relevant videos and, if there is a match, it can bring that video right to the user.

Project Overview

Online Media Committee

The process for designing a student-friendly video repository required a transformation in how NSU librarians created and maintained their instructional videos. To successfully implement this change, an Instructional Video Working Group comprised of librarians from all four NSU Libraries was assembled to work on this project. Together, the Working Group developed best practices and guidelines for instructional library videos and shared input on the design of LibraryLearn based on instructional needs.  

Building a Working Group

In order to ensure accountability, the Working Group was integrated as a subset of the library’s Online Media Committee, which oversees librarian-created online content and provides recommendations to library administrators that serve on the library’s overarching Web Steering Committee. Once the structure for the Working Group was established, the project leaders utilized Curphy’s Rocket Model of Team Performance to build an effective, high performing team by focusing on the six interrelated components that influence results: talent, mission, buy-in, norms, power, and morale (Curphy, 2008). The Rocket Model emphasizes that successful work teams are comprised of the right number of members with clearly defined roles and the skills required to achieve team goals. Thus, the Working Group was comprised of a small group of instructional librarians from the four NSU Libraries that each possessed knowledge of student needs, video editing, and basic web design.

Timeline

Early on, the Working Group developed an aspirational yet achievable project timeline with benchmark goals to help the project stay on track.  Buy-in among team members was achieved through a combination of shared vision along with specific, realistic team goals. Throughout this process, the Working Group’s two co-chairs served as transformational leaders that acted as agents of change and kept the project moving forward. Additionally, the co-chairs served as the “project sponsors” that reported directly to the library’s web team with input for instructional design.
The project was divided into four phases: Planning, Development, Beta Testing, Live Launch. During the Planning stage, which occurred during the Spring 2013 semester, the Working Group assessed student needs, investigated video options, and began designing a platform template. By Summer 2013, the team moved into the Development phase by creating guidelines, taxonomies, and instructional documentation as the web librarian simultaneously built the platform.

Communication

In addition to the Working Group’s bimonthly meetings, the Group utilized an internal LibGuide as a shared workspace, which featured meeting agendas, minutes, action items, draft policies, surveys, and goal timelines. (For library’s that do not have access to LibGuides, any collaborate workspace tool would suffice, such as a Google Docs, Share Point, etc.) Overall, the LibGuide helped enable project transparency and facilitate communication.
As the Working Group finalized the guidelines, templates, and recommended best practices for creating and maintaining instructional videos were uploaded to the library’s internal LibGuide and online Knowledgebase so staff could easily refer to these procedures documents at any time.

Surveys

Online surveys were also available on the internal LibGuide to provide members an opportunity to candidly submit anonymous feedback. The availability of these online surveys provided all members with a chance to voice their opinions even if they did not have an opportunity to speak during the group meetings. (Again, if your library does not have access to LibGuides surveys, any online survey tool, such as Survey Monkey, would work.) Additionally, an online meeting room was set up using Blackboard Collaborate so members that were not able to attend meetings in person could still participate virtually. This virtual meeting option helped increase meeting attendance since many of the Group’s members were located at different campuses. (If your library does not have access to Blackboard Collaborate, you could use a different tool, such as Adobe Connect or Skype.)

Beta

www.redpen.io

Project Overview

Soft Launch: January 1, 2014

A launch with little fanfare $earlyUser = 'guinea-pig';

  • The Google Way: Put "Beta" in the Title
  • No more arbitrary design decisions

Involve users as early as you can and get the design committee out of the way. Changes to the design or function should be backed up with data.

How are we doing?

  • 30 videos
  • 10,732 uniques
  • 10,025 within the U.S.
  • 707 International

We made good decisions

  • Half of all visits driven from off-site search
    • "how to use google scholar"
    • "help finding articles"
  • 94% of visits from browsers that support <video>

Interesting!

Average time watching a video: 2:03

Questions

  • Are 5 minute videos still too long for library instruction?
  • Is the content of the video not clear enough in search results?

Opportunity

  • Create "jump links" to specific parts of a video, so users can skip to the information they need.

librarylearn

So what's next?

  • Make videos embeddable with oEmbed (like YouTube)
  • Make series and play lists
  • Badgify
  • Open Source (eventually)
  • librarylearn.com / @librarylearn

Q's?