Lights Camera Action:
Tips for Effective Streaming Library Instruction Video
Virginia Cole and Maureen Morris

Abstract

This poster session will explore the problems and successes of producing library instruction videos that can be streamed over the web. Our goal was to accommodate different learning styles as well as to deliver more options for library instruction to our user community who are increasingly accessing the library remotely.

The project first required exploration of hardware and software requirements for streaming video. After researching current trends and experimenting with shooting footage with a digital camera, we decided that screen capturing video software such as Camtasia, an inexpensive, user-friendly software package, was more effective for library instruction streamed over the web than traditional video that featured the narrator.

As for content, we decided to create a series of short videos (3-5 minutes in duration) rather than a single, hour-long "traditional" video of the kind intended for classroom viewing. We based our series on a pre-existing department website called the "Seven Steps of Effective Research" and linked our series from it. A user study of our project is in the planning stage.

2 final versions:

Finding Books: Basic Search Guided Keyword

Background

We began by researching a number of ways in which to produce library instruction that can be served over the web. We experimented with using a digital video camera to shoot a traditional video instruction session but were dissatisfied with the results. The length of these sessions was too long to be streamed over the web and the quality of the video was low. Professional equipment and lighting as well as experience with shooting video were required in order to get a professional looking video. We then decided that since we wanted to highlight the catalogs and databases to be searched instead of the librarian talking, screen capture software and voice over narration were the way to go.

A survey of the various products in the market is below. After experimenting with a few we decided to go with TechSmith's Camtasia.

Software Overview

Requirements

Aside from the screen capture software, there were other hardware and software needs. Most were not big expenses but note that a relatively high-end computer with plenty of storage space will be required. While Camtasia offers a number of ways to compress the video as you are shooting it, we found that in order to have a good stream quality we had to originally shoot the video uncompressed. These file sizes could get quite large. Close to 1 gigabyte for 6 minutes of video and audio.

Hardware

• Computer with 8-10 gigabytes of unused space
• Microphone
• Digital still and/or video camera (optional)

Software

• Camtasia (about $150) from TechSmith
• Adobe Photoshop and Premier (optional)

Other Requirements

• Streaming server account
• Quiet space for recording and shooting
• Scripts and storyboard
  

Steps for Creating Real Media Streaming Video

Below are the basic steps for creating a video using Camtasia. The software is fairly intuitive but we have added some tips that we discovered along the way.

1. Write and rehearse script
2. Shoot using Camtasia Recorder:
   

• It helps to work with two people and capture the sound and video at the same time. One person can read the narration while the other manages the mose and the keyboard.
• To set up the audio and video options on the recorder choose Options, then Preferences—set video (no compression) and audio to the quality level desired
• Turn the audio toolbar on—View, then click Audio toolbar

3. Produce using Camtasia Producer:

• Drag clips onto the workspace to edit them and then on to the timeline to put them together. You can also add transitions between clips (fade, iris, etc.) though the quality of the transitions is fairly low. If you want to do something more elaborate you would need to take the file into a program such as Adobe Premier.
• To produce the movie choose file, produce movie, choose as *.rm in the dropdown list to set it as Real Media. Then set your Real Media options  - note that the more streams you choose to produce (28.8K, 56K, ISDN, T1, etc.) the larger the file and the poorer the video quality.     

Stream using a streaming server:

• Upload *.rm file to streaming server
• Make links on web pages using a RAMGEN link (ATC how-to) - Cornell Campus only.
  

More information

A Streaming Media Primer - Adobe

A great starting place to fully understand streaming video over the Internet

Streaming Media for the Masses - WebMonkey

Another good overview of streaming media

Maureen Morris, Virginia Cole Olin Library, Reference Services Division Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853