Streaming Video for Instruction in Medieval Studies Research

Streaming video over the web for a variety of educational uses is beginning to move from pioneering to mainstream. Given an environment in which the technology for viewing and creating and streaming video is becoming more affordable and more user-friendly, how can it be applied to instruction in the use of digital resources for research? Should it be? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this format for instruction?

I argue that streaming video is particularly suited to instruction in the use of digital collections and databases which are often accessed by faculty and students in homes or offices remote from the assistance of a reference librarian. While text guides to searching a database can be offered by librarians in the form of print handouts or static web pages (and many databases and full-text vendors make such web guides available with their products), video has the advantage of providing a live demonstration particularly suited to the interactivity of digital resources. Appearing as links on web guides for medieval studies for the use of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, a series of short (5 minute) video tutorials streamed over the web to explain search strategies for such e-resources as the International Medieval Bibliography, the Patrologia Latina, Acta Sanctorum, etc. can be an effective teaching tool.