Week 8, I'm Late

Screencasts seem like a great idea for quick tutorials on how to use various aspects of LINKCat, online databases, or web tools that we get lots of questions about at the reference desk. How to sign up for a free email account is one common question that a screencast might help with. Then again, those patrons who ask for help setting up their first email account may not actually "get" a screencast and usually need some serious one-on-one time with a staff person. Especially confusing to many are the idea that someone else may have already taken the screen name they initially come up with. A close second cause of confusion are the image codes used to prevent spamming. But, I diverge...

I think screencasts would probably be most useful for patrons that are already at least a bit computer savvy and have interest enough in whatever the subject is to want to learn more about it themselves. How to place holds in LINKCat is one screencast I could see patrons viewing, especially if it explains that putting something on "my list" does not constitute a hold.

Where I really got to thinking about screencasts was for staff training and development. This could be a great tutorial tool for those learning to use Dynix or learning a new aspect of Dynix. They could watch a screencast and then have a couple of preset lessons to try out. Ahhhh...I remember the days before I instantaneously recalled what screens need a "q" versus a ".q". If a new staff member joined my Team and was not already familiar with things like adding posts to blogs or printing temp slips in Library Online, a quick screencast would be a handy resource. Creating some screencasts and making them very easily accessible would also be a nice resource if my library ever decided to do some cross-Team staffing or hire temporary/substitute staff to fill in desk shifts while others are on vacation or medical leave. Having screencasts that one could watch just before a shift to gain the basics of a Department (enough to cover a shift or two here and there) would save the time of comprehensive staff cross-training that would only be used once in a while.