Peter Brantley’s (Digital Library Federation) presentation at CCNMTL’s Video, Education and Open Content conference was titled “The Library interface”. He began by showing “A Fair(y) Use Tale” a video mashup by Eric Faden. Here are some notes from Peter’s talk:

• What does a library actually do?

There are not many books on music in the music library at Berkeley (where Peter works). Libraries have been physical things where people consume items and then return them. Libraries have been offline and not on a network. The fact that we can find things on the network has impacted the library in really profound ways.

Libraries assume that users can find things in a library and utilize that content. But, the world is changing. People make their own media in a way that librarians have not fully understood. There is not an understanding of the shift in production styles.

One thing that libraries have done is that they have become cafes, where they serve coffee and provide spaces for people to use their laptops. Even as people have their laptops, people are collaborating.

But, these new media have challenges. Many new media are ephermeral.

• How can the library be an active participant in this engagement?
• How does the library go about making things in the same ways that library users produce media?

Because video should not be passively consumed. Video can teach. Libraries should deeply engage in understanding how to use video resources to provide educational enrichment for student and faculty.

Video is didactic. Video is an exchange, not just a form of consumption. And libraries need to be part of the conversation. There is a conversation going on between faculty and students, and the library needs to become a part of that conversation.

Libraries can tell stories. A new library is about parterning in a much deeper way with scholars and information technologiies and media creators to find new ways to connect with people in communities. (Goals include to) Engage and make content available.

We’re half way there. Libraries have lots of video content available. But, libraries need advisors from the outside communitiy to help them find ways to make it available.