Below are tools and resources that can benefit you and other VR providers. Save your patron's time and your effort!

• Tools for creating instant videos and sending them to patrons: Jing and Screenr
• Instantly annotate/mark up screen captures and send to patron: 
• Library learning object repositories 

Have ideas for other handy tools?  Edit this wiki page - contact the AskAway Coordinator for access. 

Create Instant Videos

Jing Videos - Create instant videos that you can send patrons while chatting - save yourself a lot of typing!

    * Jing Info - What it is and why you should use it --- * Jing Videos - Library of generic videos to save you time

Screenr - Much like Jing, it allows you to create videos of website navigation, which can be useful if there is a complicated set of steps a user must follow to get where they want to go, or if they are having trouble understanding your directions. However, Screenr offers the advantage of being quicker and easier to use than Jing; it does not require you to download any additional software (other than Java, which is usually already installed on many computers), and does not require creation of an account. Instead of logging in to Screenr, you use accounts you already own with other social networking sites.

• Requires you to have the latest version of Java installed
• Requires that you have an account with one of the following in order to publish your screencast:
• Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Linked In, Yahoo, or Windows Live
• There is a simple three-step process to record a screencast:
• 1. Click the button that says "Launch screen recorder." Then resize the frame, which is the dashed line that will appear after you launch the recorder. The frame will appear on whichever window you navigate to. Remember to include everything that you will want to show up in your video, including scroll bars and menus.
• 2. Click the red "record" button, which will appear in a toolbox on the lower left-hand corner. Once you click record, you will not be able to resize the frame, so it is important to do that in step one.
• 3. Click "Done." Screenr will then take you to the page where you will log in to one of the social networking sites above to publish your screencast. (You will also have the option at this point to delete the video.) After you've logged in to one of your social networking sites and the screencast is published, you will have the option to share the video, which will generate a URL that you can then send to your chatter.
• Additional tips: 
• As with Jing, sound will be automatically be recorded with the video so you may want to mute the sound on the recorder before beginning (click the microphone icon next to the red record button, and choose the "No audio when recording" option).
• Be sure not to reveal Ask Away usernames and passwords when demonstrating password-protected resources. One way to avoid this is to make sure you are already logged in to the particular resource before recording.
• For non-Ask Away use, you might consider embedding instructional Screenr webcasts into course pages or other pages on your library website.
• To view a demo of what a Screenr video looks like, see the example at the following link (to expand to a full-page view, click the icon next to the Screenr logo on the lower right-hand corner): http://www.screenr.com/toYs 

Instantly Annotate Screen Captures

sharedcopy.com - Annotate/mark up screen captures and send them to your patron instantly.

• sharedcopy.com is very well thought out. You need to register for a free account but the operation is as seamless as Jing. It operates as a bookmark.
• Once you have an account, put the bookmark on your toolbar or favorites. When you need to annotate the page, hit the bookmark and mark away.

Library Learning Object Repositories

ALPSLink Learning Object Repository - Make use of resources your colleagues have created - share your own!

• Some objects are too large for quick use in VR but will be a good source for your own knowledge.
• Some examples selected for possible use in AskAway:
• The Guided Tour - UBC Library  A suite of 10 animated tutorials created with Captivate.  Each tutorial is 3-5 minutes long.
• UBC Library Website Annotated    This is a Screenshot of UBC Library website with annotations. It is a Word doc.
• APA Style Guide for Business Sources  From BCIT, this is a pdf on APA Style Guide for Business Sources.
• Citing Your Sources in MLA Style From Langara, a 10 page handout on MLA style (2009) with examples directed at undergraduates.

ANTS Repository at blip.tv

• Called LION this group has a large number of flash tutorials that are generic enough to use in an AA setting. Each tutorial has a URL to paste into the chat window. It will be helpful to look through the list and bookmark any that might come in handy.

Resources/tools compiled by Richard Baer Feb, 2010 and Stephanie Karnosh, fall 2011.

Have ideas for other handy tools?  Edit this wiki page - contact the AskAway Coordinator for access.