Friday, April 25, 2014

23 Mobile Things - Thing 15 : Infographics

Thing 15 "Infographics are … great for visual people, people who want to see graphics and statistics in more appealing ways than just a paragraph of words."

Not knowing exactly what I'd create an infographic for or why, I searched for some examples of library related infographics and found a few that I could use as inspiration in my library. Here they are and why I liked these:


This one grabbed my attention-- I liked the colors and graphics. The old style "librarian" glasses with what librarians do today make the information interesting. It's kind of comic style so I think this would grab the attention of students especially. 



source: http://yourteacherlibrarian.wikispaces.com/file/view/librarians.jpg 

This was another good example to explain what librarians do-- how we help our patrons/users. I liked the use of the road thinking of it as how to use libraries going down the pathway of life. 


source: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/8e/71/2b/8e712b58c343440de6b3aea25b52e93a.jpg 


This infographic is a cool use showing book stats. Sometimes just giving a number without anything to compare it to doesn't do the trick. People understand the Grand Canyon is deep so for the stack of books to be double that, well that's a lot of books!



source: http://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/41964527/disp/ae1b603261c61acc360272f05e9da307.gif 

Here's a good example to explain to younger patrons/users how we found library books before the computer age. It has an old-school feel to it so I think it's appropriate for the content. For older users, who grew up using library card catalogs, I think I'd add to it (or create a similar one on) how to conceptualize that same information in online (OPAC) format. 


source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnpYq7CY_DokeLslwq84qw5a7TduMkcHS34ruDJPJ6tNTdtJ6A75ErKjPocW4PvnwcJG6PWO1K2xgNYk2nMK4b5zUgj6gC6odKPUgrRvfVqsXbuDG9uX26w4r8fbzTP02ZJgHhqF7hm-A/s1600/peabody+visual+aids+1.jpg 

This is a simple infographic that shows the stats and circulation story over a few years. Much easier to look at quickly and see changes (either up or down) in the various library items.



source: http://andymorton.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/bml-stats-graphic.jpg 

This is a nice example of how to research in an easy to follow format-- although I'd make changes to it by adding our library resources such as our OPAC and databases. I could see where younger kids might like this one since it's kind of board game-like in format. 


source: http://langwitches.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kvl-300x212.png 

We're just now in the process of surveying our library users so I can see using this format (or similar) for sharing our survey results after they're compiled. 


source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU-SBT6msKRULurKD17Of3rIEfbabd2AlSg2WvkNhjJ6a99Rqe5MGCPrlbZD8UzPPH-r18S5O47M45M4aj99Hp9DfrYmNCk0lhX-OEjXdD3yhM4lSVQAZI_fT16LzbYXfq0WrcALn7sw/s1600/2012+Liberary+Survey+Results.jpg 

Creating infographics--
In creating our own infographics, I think I'd be most apt to check out & try i Visual Info Touch Lite using our iPad. If not mobile, then I might try Piktochart free via PC-- free version since I don't foresee me having numerous ideas or time for creating infographics. 


23 Mobile Things - Thing 14 : Videos

Thing 14 “With mobile devices that have cameras, it’s so easy to record videos and store them on your device or share them with the world, and people are sharing videos at the highest rates in history. YouTube Statistics claims that over 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute. Yes, every minute. And that’s just YouTube.”

I've been making videos in a variety of formats over the years-- via VHS (yes, direct to the big, old VHS tapes & yes, I'm that old), 8mm Sony Handcam, digital camera, and with my iPhone's camera. But I've not tried any of the video apps-- until now. 

Vine
I thought I'd give Vine a try just to see what I could do in 6 seconds. 6 seconds should work and be okay, yes? Well, my 1st attempt (link via graphic below) shows a few things-- my hands shake too much, and I tried to lump too much content into that little time frame (it makes me rather dizzy to watch). I did not include any sound-- not for a 1st try. 

My 1st Vine
But, like many things, this was a learning experience and a chance to think about how this could be used. What I learned? Don't try to string 6-7 things into one 6 second video using the stop/start. Maybe just make it 3 things or use a subject that doesn't require stop/start? Although my mind right now isn't coming up with any great ideas for that. Maybe I'll let our student ambassadors give it a try & see what they can do for the library with only a 6 second video?