Videos and QR Codes in the library!

Technology is such an amazing and ever changing feature that has become a part of our daily life.  Adults of various professions are using the internet to accommodate their lifestyles and demands in their career.  Library media specialists and their libraries have really blossomed and taken off due to the technological features and resources that have been made available.  Librarians are using apps and videos to meet the needs of all students across his or her campus to showcase what is available in the library, resources and literature that expand educational experiences and assistance that is available by the librarian.  YouTube, Animoto, booktrailers and QR codes are a few popular online resources that can promote the services and resources provided by their school library and librarian and honestly I am amazed and the power behind these online resources!

Growing up, getting on the computer was merely for researching and using YouTube  was really not something kids my age did.  Through the years though, kids are using the internet for a plethora of reasons and YouTube is used by kids of all ages for entertainment, to understand a process, and some people now even have their own channels!  Mind blown, I know!  School libraries and librarians are using YouTube to reach out to students as well.  Students can learn how to research in the library, use the online catalog, and have access to many more educational videos on YouTube.  I researched several online libraries and came across some excellent educational videos within libraries that are great ideas to use in your own library!

NHS Library- Below I found two videos that I thought were excellent for young and older readers.  One video has a school mascot walking students through how to use the online library catalog and locating books.  This is an excellent video for younger readers and even new students new to the campus!  The second video is geared more for older readers in high school.  The librarian actually walks students through how to access the online library off campus.  I actually put together a similar video using screen casting and it was awesome!  Both videos are so beneficial for all readers.

 

The Unquiet Library- Here are found two videos from the Unquiet Library where the librarian actually interviews several students on "What makes a library a library?".  I thought this YouTube video was incredible!  It gives librarians an excellent understanding and idea of what else is needed in the library and how the library and the resources can be evaluated and improved!  The second video was the Unquiet Library on wheels at the cafeteria.  This video was truly one of my favorites.  This YouTube video shows a librarian with books on a cart that she travels with around the school.   There is a computer and scanner on the cart and the librarian checks out books to students during her free time!  What an incredible way to meet the needs of students and encourage and promote reading!

 

The Pikesville High School Library- The first video I came across and thought was so smart was the Pikesville Panthers in Action.  This video showed the mission statement of the library using students and staff from the high school in the video.  Each part of the video allows users to understand the various educational opportunities that exist in the library.  This is excellent for new students and their families that may have recently moved to the school and to understand more about the library and the librarian!  The second video was a video titled "The Panthers Library"  Here the librarian of the high school organized and facilitated a video conference in the library with other schools and the students from other schools were able to connect with other students in other libraries and share experiences. The library media specialist recorded and monitored the video conference.  Incredible and what a great way for students to develop a love for the technological resources the librarian and library have to offer students and staff!!

 

BBS Media- The first YouTube video that I came across was a video titled "Don't Wanna Be Overdue" where librarians and students worked to compose a video to share with the campus about the importance of avoiding overdue books.  This is a great reminder video for students and staff and could be shared on the library media website or in announcements before school.  The second video "AllDoIsRead" where students from the school work together to create a video in the library  showing students the importance of reading and returning books.  With the end of the school year and librarians are beginning to facilitate inventory procedures, I thought how great this would be to show students and classes during library times or streamed on school tv's to show students about how to take care of books, read the books and return them as soon as they are finished!

 

Along with YouTube videos to help encourage and support the importance of reading and the resources available in the library, book trailers are another upcoming idea that has made itself popular and well known.  Book trailers are similar to movie trailers, but book trailers promote books using graphics, music, words and features.  Book trailers allow librarians to showcase books in the library that are new or that would support content in the classroom!  Using Animoto is the easiest and best way to feature books.  I decided to create one on my favorite book of all time, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.  This book is my favorite book to read at the beginning of every school year because it's an excellent way to establish the importance of determination and friendship.  I had never created a book trailer using Animoto and honestly it was soooo fun!  Here is the link for my book trailer using Animoto: The One and Only Ivan

QR codes are another excellent way to promote literature within the library.  This is actually a wonderful way for students to explore book trailers.  As the librarian, once you create a book trailer using a QR code generator, students are able to scan the QR code, which looks like this , using a phone or ipad.  Once the code is scanned the book trailer will appear almost immediately.  These are very popular and students more than likely have used them in their classroom so they would be familiar with how to use QR code and how to scan.  There are so many ways librarians could use QR codes in their classrooms.  Librarians could use them at the beginning of the year when meeting with classes by doing a scavenger hunt to get to know the literature offered in the library, librarians can even generate QR codes and post the codes to their website and students could access book trailers for books outside of library hours. QR codes could be used at freshmen orientation to explore the library with families and build and establish  that connection and relationship with the school family and community.  Teachers can even pair up and collaborate with special education teachers to use QR codes to accommodate students with specials needs. There are a plethora of ways that QR Codes can be facilitated in the school library.   Here is the QR code I generated for the book trailer The One and Only Ivan.  There is an advertisement that attached itself to my video so you may have to wait about 5 seconds!  Enjoy!!
  
Having spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.