Checking Out Video Creativity: A Pilot Program for Circulating Digital Licenses to a Cloud-Based Video Editor

Abstract

A two-year pilot program at an academic library tested a system developed in-library for digitally provisioning library users with semester-long licenses to access a student-oriented commercial cloud-based collaborative video editing tool and explored the development of related learning resources and instructional sessions. This program aimed to mitigate instructional and equity challenges associated with video editing programs that cannot be used across operating systems or that require high-performance computers. A literature review considers the role of libraries in facilitating multimodal composition and as spaces of creative democracy. Collected usage and survey data (n=111) reveal a strongly positive user response to this tool and library service. Significant obstacles, including accessibility problems, were encountered during the pilot study. However, subsequent platform improvements may have mitigated or resolved many of these challenges.