2 THUMBS UP - LIBRARY APPLICATIONS FOR VIDEO TECHNOLOGY

The medium of video is ubiquitous, one with which we are all familiar. It is a predominant means of communication today, and videotapes with diverse applications flood the market. Producers extol the unique features and flexibility of video technology and recommend its use for educational, promotional, and motivational purposes. In Morris Library at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale we have successfully incorporated this very contemporary tool into the library environment. A small group of staff members participated in a project designed to produce various library-oriented videos. The project began with a series of workshops in basic video production. One of the first programs was a fifteen-minute videotape on the Open Court Collection, the archives of a noted Illinois publishing company and one of the largest collections in the library's Manuscripts Department. The potential for the use of video in libraries is extraordinary. In order to capitalize on this potential, a video producer has now been employed fulltime to continue the program within the library and to assist video production throughout the campus community.