Written Report of Jan Vincent M. Sabroso in LIS-08 Information Technology in Libraries I

Multimedia Technologies

The word “ Multimedia” can be split into “multi” and "media” . “Multi” means many whereas “media” means, the tools used as the medium of communication such as newspaper, radio, television. In brief “multimedia” can be defined as many media . In other words, multimedia is the simultaneous use of data from multiple sources of elements of media. Multimedia means the use of various types of media to create a presentation or an application which can be used for the purpose of broadcasting, entertainment, education and many others. Multimedia usually represents a collection of various input and output technologies, a system unto itself.

Multimedia Technologies is the computer-based integration of text, sound, images, animation and digitized motion video its merges the capabilities of computer with TV, CD players, DVD players, video and audio recording equipment, and music and gaming technologies.

By using these various type of media , a presentation of information that uses multimedia technology will be leveller, more dynamic and able to attract the attention of many users. Multimedia is also said to be a positive and effective medium of communication because text , audio, video and animation of various colours and pattern can be displayed simultaneously on the screen

A. 1 Current Developments Current trends in multimedia run along three tracks: stand-alone, distributed, and hybrid.

Stand-alone multimedia in the form of storage-driven multimedia systems (i.e., the CD-ROM based application) are popular and continue to hold market share.

Distributed multimedia are best seen in the World-Wide Web and the online-information services such as America Online, in the sense that the multimedia is accessed directly and is interactive across great distances.

Hybrid systems are those applications that merge or attempt to merge both previous tracks. We are currently seeing many software applications, particularly the latest office-suite productivity software, that offers Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) functions that include not only traditional stand-alone objects such as pictures, or even audio, but even the ability to link to WWW and Internet sites. Also these applications, and others such as Microsoft FrontPage, allow end-users to collect commercial multimedia applications via networks with little or no

formal expertise; indeedA.2 Application in Libraries and Information Work

The primary functions of a library are to collect, organise, preserve and deliver information to the users. With the passage of time, several techniques and technologies have emerged for handling the information more speedily and effectively. Invention of printing in the second half of the 15th century started a revolution in spreading thought and scholarship. Later, still pictures (microfilm, 1839; negative film, 1841), moving pictures (cine film, 1870; video tape and W, 1908)' sound recordings discs, (1877); sound tapes, (1899), microcomputers and view data (1045) and optical storage systems (1 985) were introduced in the commercial market which had an everlasting impact on publishing. Slowly all these recording media, used for storing In '940s, efforts were made by Dr Vannevar Bush to integrate all these forms and he designed a mechanical device, called em ex', for storing, organising and retrieving information received in various forms. Those days librarians used to collect non-book material and call them as multimedia collection. However, there was no single platform on which all the forms of information could be stored and retrieved. During the late 1980s, computer specialists succeeded in integrating the text, graphics, animation, audio, and video information on a computer after converting them into digital media (homogeneous media) called multimedia for publicity purposes. This is a major achievement in the field of publishing, which directly influenced both librarians and users.

APPLICATIONS OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY IN LIBRARIES

Multimedia systems are being used for many purposes by different people in different organisations/offices/environment. The main functions include media integration, storing, organisation and dissemination at different places in different ways.

- Instruction/training and technical presentations

- Multimedia communications such as multimedia e-mail, personal conferencing, video phones, video conferencing, etc.

- Public information points/kiosks for libraries

Reference tools, e.g. Encyclopaedias, Directories, etc.

- Archival systems

- Electronic publishing & bookselling

- Product information catalogues

Hypermedia, not only helps the users in providing information from different media (print, microforms, audio and video) on one platform (integrated) but also saves on space, money, maintenance, operational inconveniences, etc. The other advantages of multimedia in libraries are:

(a) It can help satisfying different information needs such as reference, enrichment, entertainment, leisure, etc.

(b) It can help meeting various types of information preferences of the users, such as scholarly, scientific, vocational, ' artistic, recreational, etc.

(c) Being in digital format, information can also be accessed by remote users on a network. It also helps in overcoming the barriers of boundaries, proximity and physical rapacity of a library to accommodate users.

(d) It is interesting and easy to use over the existing form such as print, microforms, online, etc.

(e) Its control and interactivity helps the users and provides the benefits of books (information) and human beings (interactivity).

Electronic information, and multirnedia in general, is about to become a vital part of our cultural heritage. Libraries have throughout the history ensured a democratic, independent and free access to the knowledge and intellectual value represented by conventional books. It is evident that this principle is also valid for electronic information and multimedia. The availability of multimedia information through, data networks may also open completely new ways for the libraries to obtain information for the common users

References :

Efrain Turbar, (2005) Introduction to Information Technology. John Wiley and Sons Inc

Williams Sayer, (2011) Using Information Technology. McGraw Hill International

http://www.slideshare.net/fareedurrahman/multimedia-technologies-introduction

http://www.arnnet.com.au/distributor_directory/distributor/71251680/multimedia_technology

http://pdf.aminer.org/000/311/266/information_retrieval_or_instruction_combining_the_differing_multimedia_information_needs.pdf