YouTube

Here we are at thing 18 or 20 -- the list and heading says 18, but the text says: "For Thing 20, spend some time watching library-produced videos on YouTube." (Yes, I really read what is posted for each thing.) But YouTube is such a biggie that we could make a case for it counting as more than one thing.

What's good about YouTube? Nearly everyone knows about it. And there are lots of entertaining videos.

What's bad about YouTube? Nearly everyone knows about it. And a lot of inconsequential "stuff" gets posted.

I looked at "The Adventures of Super Librarian" and found it mildly entertaining. I searched for Molly Ivins Library and saw a visual tour. On the music side, I tried Lady Gaga, then Taylor Swift at the Grammies and finally Stevie Nicks from 1976.

My next venture was to music for concentration. An interesting concept, and some good music was retrieved.

So YouTube ranks fairly high for entertainment and curiosity. But would I use YouTube for research? A big NO at this stage. Why not? Primarily it is too difficult to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information retrieved. Secondarily, I learn from words as much -- or more -- than from visuals. However, I recognize that others may learn differently, and that the medium may develop in a way that is more friendly toward serious research.