Increasing the Discoverability of Institutional Video: A Survey of Current Trends and Best Practices

While the volume and importance of video content on the web is growing exponentially and users are engaging with video content in unprecedented ways, rich video assets from academic institutions remain hidden and inaccessible on college campuses and invisible to the wider world. Digital video clips sit siloed on hard drives and are not cataloged. VHS tapes and reels of 16mm film are boxed in archives, faculty offices, and storage facilities. By making video content more discoverable and accessible, institutions have an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their rich heritage and enhance teaching and research for future generations on campus and as part of the global academic community. ProQuest recently completed a pilot project with seven academic libraries where we used automated transcriptions to index video content and enhance its discoverability and usability. Participants will talk about their own experiences and lessons learned from the project and share their unique perspectives about curating and showcasing institutional video assets. An interactive best practices discussion will ensure that attendees come away with fresh, current insights about showcasing their institutions’ rich and unique video assets