Making Multimedia Visible: Finding New Pathways of Discoverability and Access for Media Collections

Abstract Streaming video has increased the size of academic library media holdings, while leaving patrons on their own to find what they need. As a result, media collections are now exponentially larger and richer while simultaneously being less discoverable by students. That’s because the way libraries organize this information serves the most information-literate users—while potentially leaving others behind. This session explored the history of library media in an effort to understand the reasons why media tends to be one of the most mysterious parts of academic library collections. It also encourages librarians to assess the accessibility of their own media collections and find creative strategies for making these important resources accessible to all.