This document provides guidance on creating promotional videos for libraries using inexpensive equipment like Flip cameras. It recommends a 4 step process: 1) film the video, 2) edit the raw footage, 3) upload the finished video to YouTube, and 4) share the video link on library websites and social media. The document also discusses equipment options, editing software, legal release forms, and tips for using YouTube as a hosting platform.

1. You Don’t Have to Be Steven Spielberg: Making Movies For Your Library Presented by Shannin Bailey and Jean Ruark Mansfield/Richland County Public Library Ohio Library Council Chapter Conference 2011

2. Lights, Camera…Action? What are the Benefits of Making a Movie? It humanizes the staff to customers—we’re not stodgy, scary shushers. We’re up on our pop culture. We like to have fun. It appeals to a hard-to-reach demographic—teens, college kids, twenty-somethings. They’ll watch viral videos on YouTube…so why not reintroduce them to the library with one? It allows us to push little known services, like ILL, Research Databases, Reader’s Advisory, genealogy assistance—along with things like programming. We like to have fun. Making videos is crazy fun.

3. Covering All The Angles What equipment do you need? A Flip Camera A Computer Editing Software (Already on your computer!) Internet Access YouTube Account (Totally free!)

4. Going into Preproduction Other Requirements Time (Minimal!) Willing Staff Ideas (Holidays! Services! Advocacy! SLP!)

5. Let’s Put On a Show! Four Step Process: 1. Film 2. Edit 3. Upload 4. Share

6. Flip Camera Basics … So what is a Flip Camera? A Flip Camera allows you to film video, and stores it digitally. It also allows you to easily upload your videos to sites like YouTube and/or Facebook. And just what’s so great about Flip Cameras? Not only are Flip Cameras incredibly easy to operate, the camera allows you to watch videos just minutes after you've filmed them--either on the camera itself, or by plugging the attached USB connection into a computer. Videos can then be edited and or/uploaded to hosting sites (like YouTube.)

7. Which Flip Is Right for You? Flip Ultra Memory: 4 or 8 GB Record Time: 1 or 2 hours Battery: Battery Pack or 2 Standard AA Batteries Flip Mino Memory: 4 or 8 GB Record Time: 1 or 2 hours Battery: Internal Lithium Ion (Rechargeable.) Flip Slide Memory: 16 GB Record Time: 3 hours Battery: Internal Lithium Ion (Rechargeable.)

8. Aaaaand …Cut! Print!

9. The Editing Room Floor The Flip Camera Software—which downloads automatically when you connect the camera to your PC—includes editing software. The majority of computers come with some sort of editing software—the program depends on what operating system you use (Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS X, etc.) Each software looks and operates differently…luckily, YouTube has several tutorial videos on each on Windows Movie Maker (XP) Windows Live Movie Maker (Windows &) and iMovie ’09…

10. Your World Premiere: YouTube Why use YouTube? It helps you reach a wider audience…and by starting a YouTube Channel, you can keep and store all your videos together! Does it Have to Be YouTube?! YouTube videos automatically come with embedding codes that can be added to webpages, blogs, wikis, Facebook and Twitter pages almost instantly with zero ads!

11. Dealing With Legal Do I need to use some sort of release form? If so, what kind of information should it include? Should I fill one out each time I make a video? What happens if I don’t have a release?

12. Record Upload Edit Share