1. Televising the instruction revolution:
Video tutorials in academic art
libraries
Eamon Tewell
Moore College of Art & Design
Philadelphia, PA
ACRL Arts Section Discussion Forum, June 26, 2010

2. What’s this all about?
 Video tutorials: what, how, & why
 Study: background, findings, conclusions, &
recommendations
 How to get started
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

3. Video tutorials: what are they?
 Educational
 Otis College of Art & Design
“What is Information
Literacy?”
 Engaging
 University of Texas Arlington
“Librarian vs. Stereotype”
 Entertaining
 Montana State University
Billings
“The Music Video”
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

4. Video tutorials: what are they?
 Intro. to Image
Resources
 North Carolina State
University
 Library Orientation Video
 California College of the Arts
 “Research, My Lovely”
 Fashion Institute of
Technology
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

5. Video tutorials: how are they made?
 Screencast
 Academy of Art University
“ProQuest Tutorial”
 Digital Video
 Arizona State University
“The Library Minute” Series
 Animation
 College of DuPage
“How to Print a Document at
the COD Library While
Avoiding the Zombie Horde”
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

6. Video tutorials: why make them?
 For students
 Provide online point-of-need assistance, particularly fordistance
learners
 Meet the Millenials’ interactive, technology-based learning
preferences
 Possible to reach more users than traditional in-person
instruction
 For arts researchers
 Images are key for visual arts students and aid in knowledge
retention
 Are they effective?
 Efficacy of online tutorials generallyfound to equal that of face-to-
face instructionacademic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,
video tutorialsin

7. Study: purpose & research questions
 Purpose
 Identify and evaluate video tutorials created by academic libraries
serving students in the visual arts
 Research questions
 Are academic and art school libraries offering instructional videos?
 What types of video tutorials are being offered?
 What level of quality are these tutorials?
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

8. Study: methods
 290library websites located based on National Schools of Art &
Design member listings
 Each library website searched and browsed to locate tutorials
 8criterion used to categorize videos: Topic, Content, Usability,
Design Quality, Image Quality, Duration, Output, and Software
 Applicable categories rated on scale of 0to5using rubric based on
best practices in the literature
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

9. Study: main findings
 1300video tutorials were found and evaluated
 48 percent of libraries (140) offered video tutorials
 82 percent of tutorials were created by the home institution
 32 percentof all tutorials addressed database searching or
search strategies
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

10. Study findings: video tutorial types
900
800 778
700
Screencast
600
500 Live Video
400
Third Party
300 271
230
Animation
200
100
21
0
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june 26,

11. Study findings: video tutorial qualities
4
3.47
3.5
3.09
3 2.91 2.84
2.71 Design Quality
2.5 Video Quality
2 Usability
1.5 Content
1 Audio Quality
0.5
0
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

12. Study findings: video tutorial presentation
 Software
 66 percent of libraries (98) used screencasting software
such as Camtasia or Captivate
 21 percent of libraries used YouTube to host tutorials
 Presentation mode
 Halfof tutorials linked to a separate webpage containing the
video
 12 percent of videos were embedded in the library’s
website
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

13. Study findings: video tutorial topics
Finding Other Quizzes
Materials 2%
Database Searching
2% 20%
Plagiarism
2% Collections
Description
3%
Using Software Search Strategies
3% 12%
Promotional
3%
Research Assistance
Other 8%
3%
Tour/Orientation
4% Library Services
8%
Identifying Sources
4%
Finding
Citations
Finding Books Articles Using
8%
4% 6% Website
7%
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

14. Study conclusions: the good
 Topics
 Tutorials addressed a broad range of topics
 Design
 Tutorials demonstrated design qualities important to clear
communication
 Duration
 Tutorials were an average of four minutes
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

15. Study conclusions: the bad
 Screencast-heavy
 Easy to create, but screencasts are often less personable
 Database-centric
 Range of subjects is more likely to pique patron interest
 Lack of embedding
 Embedded videos allow a visual preview of the content and fewer
clicks
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

16. Study: recommendations
 Involve students in process
 Enlist their expertise, ask for ideas on topics, create a contest
 Multiple recording methods
 Incorporate live video or animation into screencasts to increase
engagement
 More inventive topics
 Expand beyond searching and database instruction
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

17. Getting started
1. Question your format
 According to your audience and learning objectives, determine
whether a video tutorial is the most appropriate method for your
purpose
2. Plan ahead
 Use a storyboard and/or script to plan your video in advance
1. Accommodate different learners
 Include both audio and text to support multiple learning styles
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

18. Getting started, continued
4. Increase accessibility
 Use closed captioning, slide notes, and a menu whenever
possible
4. Solicit feedback
 Have your tutorial reviewed by a colleague before its completion
6. Assess
 Ask for user opinions to assess the completed tutorial
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

19. Further reading & viewing
 M. Slebodnik and C. Riehle, “Creating Online Tutorials at Your
Libraries: Software Choices and Practical Implications,” Reference
& User Services Quarterly 49, no. 1 (2009): 33-37.
 B. Blummer and O. Kritskaya, “Best Practices for Creating an
Online Tutorial: A Literature Review,” Journal of Web Librarianship
3, no. 3 (2009): 199-216.
 L. Zhang, et al., “The Efficacy of Computer-assisted Instruction
Versus Face-to-face Instruction in Academic Libraries: A
Systematic Review,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 33, no. 4
(2007): 478-84.
 Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online Database (PRIMO).
http://www.ala.org/apps/primo/public/search.cfm
 ANimated Tutorial Sharing (ANTS). http://ants.wetpaint.com
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | eamon tewell | june

20. Additional information
 Contact:
Eamon Tewell
Moore College of Art & Design
eamont@gmail.com
 See this presentation online:
http://tinyurl.com/ArtsForumSlides
video tutorialsin academic art libraries | june 26, 2010