[Web4lib] YouTube: The Reference Tool

[McKiernan, Gerard [LIB]]

Colleagues/

 

Seems Obvious To Me ...

 

/Gerry 

 

New York Times / January 18, 2009 / Ping

 

At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool / By MIGUEL HELFT

 

FACED with writing a school report on an Australian animal, Tyler
Kennedy began where many students begin these days: by searching the
Internet. But Tyler didn't use Google or Yahoo. He searched for
information about the platypus on YouTube. 

 

"I found some videos that gave me pretty good information about how it
mates, how it survives, what it eats," Tyler said. Similarly, when Tyler
gets stuck on one of his favorite games on the Wii, he searches YouTube
for tips on how to move forward. [snip]

 

While he favors YouTube for searches, he said he also turns to Google
from time to time. 

 

Tyler's way of experiencing the Web - primarily through video - may not
be mainstream, at least not yet. But his use of YouTube as his favorite
search engine underscores a shift that is much broader than the quirky
habits of children. 

 

The explosion of all types of video content on YouTube and other sites
is quickly transforming online video from a medium strictly for
entertainment and news into one that is also a reference tool. As a
result, video search, on YouTube and across other sites, is rapidly
morphing into a new entry point into the Web, one that could rival
mainstream search for many types of queries. 

 

Additional Excerpts and Link to Full Article Available At 

 

[ http://tinyurl.com/8oj885 ]

 

/Gerry 

 

Gerry McKiernan

Associate Professor

Science and Technology Librarian

Iowa State University Library

Ames IA 50011

 

gerrymck at iastate.edu 

 

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