Thing 20: YouTube

YouTube is the first and largest of the “tube” sites, all of which revolve around the idea of the general public uploading and sharing videos. It was created in 2005, and later purchased by Google. Users have watched videos on the site more than 6 BILLION times since it started. It is in the top 5 most visited websites, and shows no sign of slowing down.

Anything that can be put on video is likely to show up on YouTube – family videos, political statements, instructional videos, amateur news reports, music, film clips, animation, etc. Frequent uploaders can even establish their own “channels.” Some movie and television production companies have started uploading selections of their work, as well.

User-submitted videos must be no longer than 10 minutes in length and 2 GB in size. YouTube uses Adobe Flash to display the videos, which can be played directly from a web browser.

Libraries are using YouTube in unique ways. Some create their own book trailers, while others use the website to promote their upcoming events. Some sponsor teen video-making contests. There are library videos centered around training, library use, storytimes, performances, and much more.

For Thing 20, spend some time watching library-produced videos on YouTube. Some good search terms to get you started are:

Texas library
public library
school library
academic library
library event

In your blog, talk about the videos you saw. What were they trying to accomplish? How effective were they? Can you think of other uses of videos to help promote libraries or serve the public?