Video Clip Reference: The Medium is the Message

Compared with competing information portals, library Web sites lack substantial video clip content. There is a gap between the experience offered by commercial Web sites and the experience offered by library Web sites. The message of any medium or technology, according to Marshall McLuhan, is the change of scale, pace, or pattern that it introduces into our existence. Instructional video on demand offers speedy learning when you need it. Librarians and vendors are beginning to address the need of libraries for video via screencasting technology. Product training and support is moving from exclusively textual materials to a mix of text and video clips. The medium offered to patrons has a message. Libraries are finally hearing it and acting on it.