[Web4lib] Video projects

[Thomas La Foe]

In the Mississippi State University Libraries we have a department called the Instructional Media Center. Here's our page.
 
http://library.msstate.edu/imc
 
In the IMC we have 4 high end computers (I don't have the specs on hand) that are dedicated to video capture/editing. We are recently recovering from a mistake we made in purchasing Avid's Xpress video editing software along with their Mojo DV capture accelerator. We ran into many problems. The first was that many of our students and patrons wanted to capture from VHS and Mojo didn't like analog video at all. The second was that no one knew how to use Xpress. We all were familiar with older versions Adobe Premiere but just felt like idiots when we looked at the Avid interface. We eventually edited some stuff together, but it was a struggle to un-learn and re-learn how to edit videos.
 
So we reverted back to what we had before, Pinnacle Studio. We now have these pretty Avid Mojo boxes as paperweights while all of the video equipment is run into the very simple Pinnacle Dazzle capture devices. While the Pinnacle software is very simple in what it can do, it captures, edits, and exports finished movie files. This is what we have found that our students need. It's affordable for the library, and easy for the students to learn.
 
I would also like to briefly address Robert's comment, "That certainly is the most economical thing for libraries and librarians to do for themselves, especially if their skill level will only support that. But, is it the best value for students?" There are other departments on campus who allot many more funds for the purchase of "higher-end" video equipment and software, but here in the library it is very hard to justify the purchase of video equipment that maybe 200 students per year use when academic journal subscriptions are being cut left and right.
 
Hope this info helps. If you have any other questions about our set-up please let me know.
 
Thomas
 
Thomas La Foe
Instructional Technology Specialist
Instructional Media Center
Mississippi State University Libraries
(662) 325-6781

>>> Doug Bancks <DBancks at fairmont.k12.mn.us> 6/3/2010 8:24 AM >>>
Hi,

If you have an effective system for shooting and editing video in your library

that works for student/patron projects I would appreciate hearing about it in some

detail. What hardware and software have you found to work well? How do you manage computer security and video downloads?



Thanks


Doug Bancks
Library Media Specialist
Fairmont Jr/Sr High School
900 Johnson Street
Fairmont, MN 56031
dbancks at fairmont.k12.mn.us<mailto:dbancks at fairmont.k12.mn.us>
507-235-4107



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