New alternative to YouTube

Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network is new service that offers politicos an alternative to YouTube and similar sites.

CHBN "is a powerful, interactive, internet broadcasting platform created specifically for those with vested interests in politics and government affairs. CHBN empowers its members with user-friendly, internet video technology tools to communicate with targeted audiences and the general public. CHBN provides a free service for broadcasting member-generated political video content. CHBN is a one-stop portal for viewers to see the latest political news, legislative updates, committee hearings, speeches, commercials, and countless other political videos.
More information on their About page and in this article: New Political Site Aims To Compete With YouTube by Heather Greenfield National Journal's Technology Daily December 18, 2006 PM edition [subscription required]. Continue reading

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New Library Page to Collect Video, Audio Spots

In hopes that this week's postings on the use of videos to promote libraries and government information will unleash a burst of creativity (or bring existing items to light), we have established a new FGI library page. The page is called Audio and Video that Promotes Government Information or Depository Libraries and provides links to the following:

  • Audio spots done by libraries or librarians (currently empty)
  • Video spots
  • Sources for visual materials
  • Sources for royalty-free/copyright friendly audio
  • Sites where you can post your video for free and get viewer stats.
Please send us links to anything that falls in the above categories. If anyone has suggestions for either software or tutorials on making videos/audio promos, please send links to those as well. The software I used came with my computer and is now four years old, so I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone. Check your computer. Chances are you already have video and audio tools on your computer! Continue reading

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Audio and Video that Promotes Government Information or Depository Libraries

Two important aspects to the preservation of no-fee fully functional access to government information are raising people's awareness of government information and convincing them of the value of having government information. Cash-strapped libraries and librarians have new tools to make these things happen. Libraries such as Fulton County Public Library are using tools like YouTube to put a new face on the library. It is our belief that depositories and their friends can do the same for the somewhat mysterious Federal Depository Library Program. So we'd like to pull together the videos and sound spots (Internet & Radio) you've been doing or will do shortly, along with some resources for producing these spots. Please send us links to video or audio spots that either promote government information in general or Federal Depository Libraries in particular. Promotional Spots Audio Video

  • Air Force at Your Library (3 min) - US Air Force documents and other resources set to the official Air Force Song. Hosted by Internet Archive, Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network, YouTube and MySpace.
  • Army at Your Library (1 min) - Hosted at Internet Archive, Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network, YouTube and MySpace. Selection of Army resources set to Army Song. First Daniel video to employ four seconds per title.
  • Ask the Government! - Approximately one minute PSA video produced by usa.gov to extol the virtues of the information portal. Posted 8/22/2007.
  • Best Titles Ever! The Video - 13 titles from FGI's Best Titles Ever page set to electronic music.
  • Civil Rights Movement in the United States by Sarah Gewirtz - 3:34 minute video posted 4/14/2007 highlighting civil rights reports set to a MLK speech.
  • Communism in the United States by Sarah Gewirtz - 2:37 video of communism related documents issued by various federal agencies in the 1940s and 50s set to a Joseph McCarthy speech. Brillant! Posted August 22, 2007.
  • Documents on Parade: Criminal Edition - Web sites and Dept of Justice documents set to music familiar to boomers.
  • FDLP - The Final Frontier (Approx 2 min) - Space. The final frontier. Available at your Federal Depository Library since the dawn of the space age. Enjoy these spacy treats and then trek on over to http://catalog.gpo.gov for more great NASA resources. Music by Victor Stellar courtesy of Podsafe Audio. Posted 2/10/2007
  • Let's Cook with Government Documents! (2:06, posted 2/9/2008) - Another brillant video by Sarah Gewirtz highlighting recipes for all walks of live and cuisines from government documents.
  • Marines Get Around! (approximately 1 min, posted 12/24/2006) - Roundup of documents showing how active Marines have been in our nation's history. Posted to CHBN, YouTube, and MySpace.
  • Navy at Your Library (39 seconds) - Hosted at the Internet Archive, YouTube and the Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network.
  • Shield of Freedom (2 min, posted 12/30/2006) - USCG documents set to the tune Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officers March.
  • You and Your USA - (01:48)A walk through civics pamphlets given to our soldiers and sailors in the 1950s. Produced by Sarah Gewirtz of St. John's University/College of St. Benedict. For more information about this video, please contact Sarah Gewirtz at SGEWIRTZ "AT" CSBSJU.EDU. Posted 1/15/2007.

Production Resources

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Best Titles Ever! The Video

What do you get when you take some of the documents world's "best titles ever!" and mix it with some podsafe audio? You get Best Titles Ever!: The Video: Of course, since I only used thirteen titles, there are many more "best evers" that could be mixed around into other videos or other products that can be used to take document awareness into non traditional places. This posting is related to proof of concept video I posted earlier this week. Both videos were inspired by a YouTube commercial for Fulton County Public Library that I also noted earlier. Continue reading

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The History News Network.

Although not a government info resource, this site may be of use to researchers, students, and teachers. George Mason University's History News Network (HNN) features articles and excerpts by professional (scholarly?) historians. The authors range from left, right, and center. The site’s motto is “Because the Past is the Present, and the Future too”. They describe their mission in part being

“(t)o expose politicians who misrepresent history. To point out bogus analogies. To deflate beguiling myths. To remind Americans of the irony of history. To put events in context. To remind us all of the complexity of history.”
The lead editor is Richard Shenkman of George Mason University, author of several books of history --notably “Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History”. On the home page, there is a quick link to The September 11 Digital Archive. Recently, they’ve posted commentaries on the Iraq Study Group report. The current Most Popular Article: Richard K. Neumann Jr.: "The Myth That "Eight Battleships Were Sunk" At Pearl Harbor". The All-Time Favorite is "What Is the Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims--and Why Does It Matter?" (written in 2002). There is a good collection of links for students (like "What Books Are Helpful in Understanding 9-11?") and for teachers . Continue reading

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