Adobe Flash and library instruction

Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

For those of you well versed in web-design there are three “elements” that designers talk about: 1. content (i.e. HTML) 2. design (i.e. CSS) and 3. functionality (i.e. PHP). Libraries have mastered #1 and #2 as evidenced by the fact that almost every major library has a homepage while #3 is slowly gaining acceptance. This is especially the case in instances were Web 2.0 tools have taken off. Ironically, however Adobe Flash is rarely used by libraries while it is common everywhere else.

Part of this has to do with Flash itself. While most interactive websites are server or browser oriented (that is they are part and parcel with the site they enhance) Flash is not. Instead, Flash is a self-contained application that runs in a browser and is not part of the website. Moreover, while Flash offers support for retrieving information from an external database, it’s not well suited to this purpose. Libraries require access to large amounts of information and so do their tools.

Enter what Flash can do: quickly and easily construct interactive animation. Going back to the “old-school” librarian days we’ve always been willing to make lists. Lots and lots of lists. This hasn’t helped our “boring” reputation though, and pointing patrons to our plenitude of them doesn’t necessarily make people think positively about visiting the library. The “wow” factor just isn’t there. Sure, academics and inquisitive individuals are going to be willing to learn about EbsoHost by reading your six-page pathfinder, but the average person is probably going to be bored out of their mind. This is where Flash and it’s emphasis on animation can help our patrons out.

Take this animation that I created as part of a class last semester: The Archive.

Now, compare it to a static or marginally interactive webpage. It’s pretty obvious that the Flash page is just more fun. This doesn’t mean that Flash should always be used to create instructional walk-throughs, but it does provide an engaging component that often libraries lack. Flash can be used to lessen the impersonal feel that a computer – or paper list – creates.

Over the next several weeks I plan on posting a three part series dedicated to Flash and library instruction. In part one I will introduce Flash and it’s basic functions. In part two I will begin to build an instructional animation. Finally, in part three I will compare our finished product to competitors and return to a discussion on Flash’s usefulness.

This entry was posted on January 19th, 2009 and is filed under Reference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.