Media Library Aims to Help Members Learn, Share, and Create
Contributed By Chelsee Niebergall, Church News and Events
Article Highlights
- The LDS Media Library allows members to spread the gospel by using wholesome digital media.
- Currently the website features video content; still images and audio will be added later this year.
“The idea is to allow members to visit the site to find media to use in lessons, in their homes, and for missionary work.” —Bret Barton, digital media producer
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“Learn, Share, Create”—the theme of the new LDS Media Library—accurately describes what members can do using the resources the website provides.
The new section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org is designed to help members access gospel-oriented media such as videos, audio files, and still images. While members may have used general search engines to find these materials in the past, the new site will enable members to find Church resources in one trusted location. The resource is designed to help individuals, families, and organizations come unto Christ through the use of wholesome media.
“The idea is to allow members to visit the site to find media to use in lessons, in their homes, and for missionary work,” Bret Barton, digital media producer, said.
The release of the LDS Media Library includes 700 video files such as New Testament Stories, videos based on the 2011 Mutual theme, and Mormon Messages. The site also includes Joseph Smith: the Prophet of the Restoration, a feature-length motion picture shown at the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square and in visitors’ centers around the world.
Media on the site can be accessed with many common mobile devices, including e-books, as well as with Internet TV. They can be shared through podcasts and RSS feeds, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and online broadcasts.
The website also offers suggestions for using the media resources, information on how the Church is using the material, and instructions for members who wish to contribute additional media to the site.
“We hope people will be able to learn through the media and share something that touches them with their friends,” product manager Vicki Bird said.
Currently only video portions of the Media Library are available. Audio files and images are expected to be available later this year. Although most of the video content on the website is available for downloading, some is available for streaming only. Video, audio, and images that are not available to download typically have intellectual property restrictions that prevent their use by the general public.
The site’s launch will be in English, but plans are in place for introducing languages to the site in the future.
