Please enjoy and perhaps learn something new when you read my colleague Pauline’s account of the recent ANLTC course ‘Using Multimedia tools to present information’. ANLTC have a seminar entitled ‘The Librarian as Researcher’ taking place on Thursday 8th May. Those attending will also have an opportunity to tour our lovely library here in NUI Maynooth.
View from the Special Collections Reading Room in The Library, NUIM (Photo taken prior to landscaping of the area) – (Photo: B.Gardiner)
***Posted on behalf of Pauline Murray, Assistant Librarian, The Library, NUI Maynooth***
I was lucky enough, along with my colleague Elaine Bean, to be able to attend a one-day ANLTC course, in April, called ‘Using Multimedia tools to present information’
The course was given by the well known Phil Bradley
It was apparent even beforehand that this was going to be a course with an emphasis on the practical, when we received a 26 page document listing a wide range of multimedia tools potentially of interest to libraries. In fact this list proved to be central to the day. When we arrived Phil assured us we would be doing most of the work, he would guide us through the various areas and be there to deal with queries, make suggestions and so on.
This worked out very well. He used ‘Pearltrees’ as the collection for the relevant resources, broken down into different areas.
We worked our way through each section, usually starting with some introductory pointers from Phil. Each time, we had lots of scope to try out whatever appealed and plenty of time for discussion.
Of the many interesting resources to explore, some of those which caught my eye include:
• BBFlashback Express
This records your screen and sound and allows edits. There is a free version available to download. It could be considered as an alternative to ‘Articulate’ and would not have the drawback of being restricted to specific computers.
• Animato
With this you can turn your images into videos. The free version limits your slideshow to 30 seconds, but it’s possible, without spending a lot of money, to purchase longer shows.
• Padlet
This you can use as an ice-breaker, a bulletin board or for brainstorming. Basically, it’s a virtual wall, where people can put their thoughts on a common topic, using text, images and more.
Everyone enjoyed the demonstration Phil gave us of ‘augmented reality’. Definitely this was a glimpse of eBooks in the future.
Elaine and I were so impressed by the day, we hope our colleagues will have the opportunity to meet with Phil Bradley too.
Many thanks to the Library, NUI Maynooth for the opportunity to attend the course.
Library Staff Development 