BDS AT FRANKFURT

BDS MAKES MOVIES

BDS has setup a YouTube channel to introduce, explain, entertain and support its customers and people interested in metadata and BDS

services.

The channel started with a presentation that was recorded at a NAG seminar in May 2022.

Preserve and Distribute Knowledge

Thanks to the generosity of NAG, the recording of the presentation was made available to BDS and the idea of a YouTube channel was born. “We had to make a few adjustments to our web architecture,” says Chris Miller, Systems Analyst and Programmer at BDSDigital. “We wanted to embed video at relevant points of the website to aid visitors in their understanding of BDS products and services.”

The Potential of Video

However, the potential uses of the channel soon became apparent. “We were planning a recruitment drive and we wanted to show people that BDS was a great place to work, so we created a two-minute video about the BDS workplace environment,” says Lesley Whyte. “It not only sits at the top of our vacancies’ page (www.bdslive.com/job-vacancies) but we can also send links and promote it via social media.” Another use was to broaden the expressive range of articles featured in BDS’s online magazine, BDSlife. A recent visit to Ireland’s first ever public library offered the chance to sequence as series of photographs into a brief film which allowed for much more visual content to be presented. You can view the video in Ireland’s First Public Library in this issue of BDSlife (www.bdslive.com/bdslife-online/irelands-firstpublic-library). Both the recruitment video and the magazine feature can also be viewed through the YouTube channel, Bibliographic Data Services, www.youtube.com/channel/ UCgSJQj7qsVgNfUG5Ob9dP4w Plans are afoot to upload feature videos on members of staff, “how to” videos and more magazine features.

BDS BACKS NAG AWARD

BDS is sponsoring this year’s National Acquisitions Group Award for Excellence.

The award, introduced in 2011, promotes innovation and original thinking in the field of library acquisitions. It is open to individual or team entries. “BDS is delighted to sponsor the award this year and we hope, for years to come,” says Lesley Whyte. “Excellence, original thinking and innovation are features that have made BDS successful, so we look forward to learning more about the projects that are supporting such work in libraries.” The winner receives a trophy, prize money and £100 is donated by NAG to a charity of the winner’s choice. Previous winners have included Bradford Libraries, The University of Kent, Derbyshire Libraries and The Guildhall Library. Winners also benefit from a free seminar or conference place where the NAG Award will be presented, and the winner will present at the following year’s event to share their work. Last year the award went to Helen Hall, Inter Library Loan Principal Library Assistant in the Acquisitions and Document Delivery Department at the University of Liverpool. Her work introduced a new subscription model that challenged the traditional transactional form of interlending. Nominations for the 2022 Award closed on the 10th October and the winner will be announced in due course. Find out more about the National Acquisitions Group at www.nag.org.uk. Find out more about the NAG Award for Excellence, including past winners at https://nag.org.uk/nagaward-for-excellence.