Introduction to Screencasting for Online Tutorials and Reference Sponsored By MARS-RUSAMARS-RUSA Emerging Technologies in Reference SectionAmerican Library Association

Maribeth Slebodnik Purdue University Libraries William Breitbach California State University-Fullerton Van Houlson University of Minnesota Libraries

1. Identify ways to use screencasting in your library 2. Name some leading screencasting software 3. Know some best practices for creating screencasts 4. Understand the advantage and disadvantages of this technology 5. Have enough practical tips to get started By the end of this session, you will be able to …

What Is Screencasting?

“A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a videoscreen capture, often containing audio narration …essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on a computer screen, enhanced with audio narration” Definition attributed to Jon Udell, InfoWorld blogger 2004 (Wikipedia)

Short instructional streaming videos —less than 5 minutes Usually includes audio narration May include highlighting, text and other graphics May include other media (images, music, animation) What screencasting is today…

How Libraries Use Screencasting

Software tasks tasks Orientations to websites or serviceswebsitesservices Tutorials on using catalogs or databases catalogsdatabases Responding to reference questions reference

Capturing presentationspresentations Training public service staffTraining Any kind of informal communication communication Online tutorials for instructionOnline tutorials

Software For Creating Screencasts See “Screen Capturing Tools” ht tp://

JingFree and easy to use. Captures audio and screen capture (including screenshots) that can be hosted on Screencast.Com Limited to 5 minute streaming, lacks editing. Adobe CaptivateVersatile for capturing screens or full motion recording with audio narration and text captioning. Offers many editing features for customizing each screen. Powerful software for developing online tutorials. $$$ Camtasia Studio Advanced recording tool for creating videos for almost any project setting, including YouTube, iPods, and blogs. Narrate powerpoints, include text captioning, audio narration, closed captioning, full motion recording, and assessment options. $$ ScreenFlow Best software for Apple with many editing effects (zoon, pan, trim, shadows, etc.) Good for mulitmedia production. $$

Output Files Jing Free Version: SWF (Flash) Pro Version: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (standard high quality format) Mac/Pc Camtasia Studio MultiFormat (MPEG-4, MOV Quicktime, DV, MP3 audio, Flash) Mac/Pc Adobe Captivate MultiFormat (AVI, MOV, MPEG, and FLV) Mac/Pc Screenflow MultiFormat Full Range of Quicktime settings, plus Flash and WMV) Mac/PC

Where to Archive Your Screencasts?

Hosting sites: YouTubeYouTube Screencast.ComScreencast.Com (Jing) Vimeo Other: Your local server Authoring tools (Libguides, Drupel)

How to Share Your Screencasts

Embed them in blogs or websites websites Link to them to descriptions of resourcesdescriptions Feature them on your library guideslibrary guides Place them on YouTubeYouTube Distribute via discussion lists or Repurpose Your Screencasts