#9: Sharing - slides, photos, databases

I love the ability to create and embed dynamic information. PowerPoint is ubiquitous, and great for self-paced tutorials, so I can see some real promise in using SlideShare. For an LIS class, I had to create a database tutorial. I created a PowerPoint for the Alexander Street Press database "Women and Social Movements in the United States." This is not a database that follows the 'rules' of others; you aren't searching journals, you're searching primary documents. So I felt there was a need for a tutorial on this. I had uploaded it while working at USF, and embedded below is the presentation.

Database Tutorial: "Women And Social Movements In The United States"

View more presentations from bullsi. (tags: history women's)

The only problem with SlideShare is that sometimes things don't shrink the way you planned. The spacing on the embedded slideshow is not the same as in the original PowerPoint show. SlideShare says it's been viewed 540 times, which is quite a lot, and a related show is "Hottest Women Alive," which is quite amusing.

Since PowerPoints take minimal time to create, I can see using SlideShare to disseminate tutorials on library services and resources. I think the more ways information can be received, the more likely it is students will receive it. Embed it, make it pretty, automate it--students should stumble upon something somewhere. Also, a common theme in these Web 2.0 technologies is participation and interactivity. These dynamic resources make students feel more like we "get" them--and in an age where librarians are still stereotyped with buns and glasses, getting on students' level is not only a good PR move, it's almost a necessity for libraries to survive.