It's multimedia week here at 23 things, that's exciting! Being a citizen of the internet myself, I have seen and participated in the various developments that have taken place online, and how the evolution of technology has allowed for increasingly rich experiences, fostering connections between people all over the world.
The best aspect of this is that it's not limited to type or theme, these tools lend themselves to creation, education, business, wasting time. Changing the world or goofing off, there's room for all of it, and sometimes it can be slightly hard to tell the difference.
Today I will share with you a library-cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" music video. It is one of the most beautiful things to ever be recorded.
The sound is a bit off because the original upload had the sound removed. This calls into play our previous weeks' topic of copyright - I would argue that this video clearly rests in the realm of parody and fair use, but the other thing about technology is that sometimes people let computer algorithms make the decisions instead of human brains, and the computers can't always tell what is an infringement and what is not.
If you've never seen the original, you truly must. It will deepen your appreciation of the book-cart chase scenes and fake moustaches.
But not all online video is purely entertainment. Some is educational. We had to find a video or a podcast that relates to libraries, and I've got a TED talk from Ron McCallum. Dr. McCallum is a human rights advocate, former Dean of the University of Sydney Law School, and chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He became blind shortly after his birth, and in his talk he gives passionate warmth and insight into the value of stories, reading, and the technology that has allowed his life to be enriched with books despite being unable to see.
I had always been proud of the efforts NBPLS had undertaken (and continues to undertake) by way of accessibility services, but watching this video definitely gave me a deeper perspective. Having our adaptive workstation and audio formats in the library makes it possible for people to read things that they may otherwise not have been able to. It's one thing to know this logically, but to have someone spell out the ways these technologies have enriched his life, a man who has accomplished so much and continues to work on behalf of others, it brings further motivation for the type of services we strive to offer to every patron, and I'm quite glad to have watched it.
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