Xtranormal library program

Jessica Smith
Reference & Instruction Librarian,
Lorain Public Library
(555) 123-4567
jsmith@lpl.org

Xtranormal: A text-to-movie tutorial | 2

Executive Summary
This
library
program
focuses
on
creating
a
digital
story
using
the
text-‐to-‐movie
website,
Xtranormal.
The
program
is

geared
towards
teens
(ages
14-‐18),
and
will
take
place
on
July
23,
2012
at
the
Lorain
Public
Library
in
Lorain,
Ohio.

Xtranormal
is
a
website
that
hosts
text-‐to-‐speech
based
computer
animated
video
clips,
featuring
animated
three-‐

dimensional
characters
speaking
in
monotone
computer
voices.
Users
who
log
into
the
site
may
create
videos
by
scripting

the
dialog
and
choosing
from
a
menu
of
camera
angles
and
predesigned
characters
and
scenes.
Xtranormal
videos
may

also
be
created
through
an
interface
on
the
YouTube
web
site,
and
Xtranormal's
animation
software,
called
State,
may
be

downloaded
free
and
run
offline.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xtranormal)

CONTENTS

Executive Summary 2

About the Lorain Community 3

Demographics
3

Population
3

About the Lorain Public Library System 4

2010
Financial
Summary
for
Lorain
Public
Library
System*
4

At
Your
Service
–
A
Look
at
LPL’s
Numbers
for
2010
4

Why Xtranormal at LPL? 6

Goals

6

Logistics
6

Conclusion 8

Appendix 9

2


About the Lorain Community
Lorain
is
a
city
in
Lorain
County,
Ohio,
United
States.
The
municipality
is
located
in
northeastern
Ohio
on
Lake
Erie,
at
the

mouth
of
the
Black
River,
about
30
miles
west
of
Cleveland.
As
of
the
2010
Census,
the
city
had
a
total
population
of

64,097,
making
it
Ohio's
10th
largest
city.
It
was
first
settled
in
1807
and
was
originally
named
Charleston.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorain,_Ohio)

Below
is
a
brief
analysis
on
several
of
the
key
demographics
concerning
the
city
of
Lorain,
including
race/ethnicity,
income,

population
and
age.

Demographics
INCOME*
*Race/Ethnicity

White

 MEDIAN/MEAN
INCOME

The
city
of
Lorain
is
made
up
The
median
income
(dollars)
for
households

(67.9%)
in
Lorain
is
estimated
at
$32,787;
compared

primarily
of
a
White/Caucasian

to
the
mean
income
(dollars)
at
$42,872

population
with
57.9%,
followed
Hispanic

by
a
25.2%
majority
of
Hispanic
(25.2%)

or
Latino
and
17.6
%
African

 Below
is
a
breakdown
chart
of
the

African
income
ranges
(seen
in
legend)

Americans.
The
‘Other’
American
between
Households
and
Families:

represents
American
Indian,
(17.6%)

Alaska
Native
and
Asian

Americans.
Other

H
(.9%)
o
*Statistics
taken
from
the
2010

u
US
Census,
percentages
not
s
equivalent
to
100.00
scale

e
h
o
Population l

F
According
to
the
2010
U.S.
Census,
the
population
percent
change
between
a
the
years
2000-‐2010
has
decreased
6.6%,
mainly
as
a
result
of
the
declining
m
economy
(closing
steel
plants
and
Ford
car
dealerships
that
make
up
a
large
il
chunk
of
employment
in
the
city).
It
is
interesting
to
note
that
the
persons
i
e
under
18
years
of
age
make
up
26.7%
of
the
population
–
the
very
age
group
s

we
are
targeting
for
the
digital
storytelling
program
at
Lorain
Public
Library.

Number
Percent
%

<$10,000
$10,000-‐$24,999

TOTAL POPULATION 64,097
100.00

MALE POPULATION 30,447
47.5

$25,000-‐$49,999
>$50,000

FEMALE POPULATION 33,650
52.5

MEDIAN AGE (YEARS) 38.0
(X)

*Income
percentages
are
taken
from
the
2010
U.S.
Census
-‐
INCOME
IN
THE
PAST
12
MONTHS
(IN
2010
INFLATION-‐
ADJUSTED
DOLLARS)
2008-‐2010
American
Community
Survey
3-‐Year
Estimates.
The
main
focus
was
on
households
and

families
(excluding
married-‐couple
families
and
nonfamily
households).

3


About the Lorain Public Library System

Lorain
Public
Library
System
(LPLS)
began
as
an
association
library
when
a
committee
of
interested
citizens
joined

together
in
1901.
The
Association’s
trustees
secured
a
grant
from
the
Carnegie
Foundation
to
erect
a
library
building
in

Lorain
that
was
completed
in
1904.
Today,
LPLS
serves
a
diverse
population
of
approximately
123,000.
The
library
system

provides
library
service
to
school
districts
including
Lorain
City
Schools,
Clearview
Schools,
Firelands
Schools,
Avon

Schools,
Columbia
Schools,
North
Ridgeville
Schools
and
Sheffield/Sheffield
Lake
Schools.

Service
is
provided
by
the
Main

Library
in
Lorain,
five
branch
libraries,
and
through
outreach
services,
including
Bookmobile
service
and
Books-‐by
Mail

service.
Lorain
Public
Library
has
been
a
member
of
CLEVNET
since
1990.
(http://www.clevnet.org/lorain.php)

2010 Financial Summary for Lorain Public Library System*

Staﬃng

•  $5,358,76
=
56%
of
Expenditures

•  145
employees
in
LPLS
(in
2010,
19
positions
were

cut
and
a
wage
freeze
was
implemented)

Size
(Collection)

•  440,288
Books;
2,465
CD
ROMS;
50,124

Paperbacks;
19,628
Books
on
CD
&
Cassette;

48,685
Music
CDs;
25,527
Video
Cassettes;
and

83,184
DVDs

Budget
=
$10
million

• 40%
-‐
state
funding;
46%
-‐
levies;
11%

state
rollbacks
and
transfers;
4%
other

Source:
http://lorain.lib.oh.us/documents/LPLS2010AnnuaReport.pdf

4


At Your Service – A Look at LPL’s Numbers for 2010

2,150,679
items
were
borrowed.

208,364
reference
questions
were
answered
by
LPLS
staff.

91,342
patrons
held
library
cards.

873,590
people
visited
our
libraries.

2,465
library
programs
were
offered
with
53,283
in
attendance.

Community
groups
used
our
meeting
rooms
825
times.

Citizens
used
our
public
computers
169,936
times.

3,829
children
and
1,098
teens
participated
in
the
Summer
Reading
Program,
funded
through
a
grant
from
The

Stocker
Foundation
and
Nord
Family
Foundation.
Key
partners
were
Lorain
County
Metro
Parks
and
the
Lorain
County

Ironmen
baseball
team.

322
families
read
3,777
books
together
in
the
Family
Read-‐Aloud
Program
sponsored
by
The
Foundation
of
the
Lorain

Public
Library
System,
Inc.
through
a
generous
donation
from
Emerson
Network
Power
of
Lorain.

20,535
people
visited
the
Bookmobile.

*Information
based
on
Lorain
Public
Library
System
as
a
whole
(6
branches
and
Bookmobile)

Source:
http://lorain.lib.oh.us/documents/LPLS2010AnnuaReport.pdf

5


Why Xtranormal at LPL?
Based
on
the
statistics
of
information
provided
above,
it
is
clear
that
the
percentage
of
children/teens
ages
12-‐18
is
a
large

chunk
of
the
Lorain
community
population.
Combined
with
the
fact
that
Lorain
Public
Library
has
a
heavy
traffic
flow
of

these
young
users
from
the
local
schools,
day
cares,
and
households
on
a
daily
basis,
there
is
a
need
to
focus
on
more

instructional
and
entertainment
programs
for
this
growing
patron
base.

XtraNormal
was
recommended
due
to
its
appeal
as
a
free
3D
text-‐to-‐movie
program
that
opens
up
to
wider
program

potential
(digital
storytime,
movie
nights,
book
club
for
the
screen,
etc.).
LPL
already
has
a
computer
lab
with
projector

and
speakers
to
create
and
display
the
movies,
and
the
promotional
aspects
combined
with
prizes
for
‘best
movie’
will
help

draw
in
participants.
What’s
more,
Xtranormal
allows
users
to
share
their
finished
products,
either
directly
through
the
site

or
by
downloading
to
their
desktop/flash
drive.

Goals
§ Introduce
new
forms
of
digital
programming
to
the
library
community,
specifically
with
the
younger
‘digital

native’
generation

§ Use
a
creative
outlet
to
help
teens
express
themselves
in
an
atmosphere
outside
the
home
or
school
environment,

with
the
possibility
of
expanding
the
program
to
become
a
monthly
activity.

§ Increase
visibility
of
Lorain
Public
Library
as
an
interactive
community
space
that
houses
a
multitude
of
print
and

electronic
resources.

Logistics
Funding

For
this
library
program,
the
main
components
needed
to
implement
the
project
are
already
in
place:
computer
lab,
free

text-‐to-‐movie
website,
projector).
The
main
costs
will
come
from
promotional
materials
(signs,
handouts,
and
additional

advertisement
in
the
community)
and
prizes
for
the
winner(s)
of
‘best
movie’
as
well
as
some
library
swag
for
all

participants.
Several
local
businesses
have
partnered
with
LPL
to
donate
various
materials
and
gift
items
for
this
program,

which
will
cut
prize
costs
considerably.

6


Cost/Attendance

There
is
no
cost
to
attend
the
program,
but
participants
must
register
in
advance
and
a
sign-‐in
sheet
be
implemented
to

gauge
the
turnout
based
on
initial
registration.
This
preliminary
program
will
also
help
determine
if
the
program
should
be

repeated
in
the
future,
how
often
it
should
be
offered,
and
if
walk-‐ins
would
be
permissible
down
the
line.
Attendance
is

limited
to
the
number
of
computers
in
the
lab
(25),
and
the
teens
will
have
the
option
of
working
alone
or
in
pairs.

Location
&
Scheduling

Since
this
program
is
being
developed
by
LPL,
and
the
location
of
the
event
is
taking
place
in
the
library
computer
lab,

there
is
not
rental
cost
or
scheduling
conflicts
to
work
around
-‐
this
will
be
handled
internally
before
the
program
is

promoted.
The
month
of
July
was
picked
to
have
the
program
due
to
its
timing
during
the
middle
of
summer,
free
from

school
and
most
extra-‐curricular
conflicts.
While
the
date
selected,
July
23,
falls
on
a
Monday,
this
should
not
detract
from

a
sizeable
turnout
based
on
the
previous
explanation.
The
program
will
last
2
hours,
and
begin
at
6pm
(mainly
to
allow

time
for
parents
to
get
home
from
work/transport
the
teens
to
the
library,
and
also
occur
after
most
extra-‐curricular

activities
end
for
the
day).

Publicity/Promotion

As
stated
early,
the
bulk
of
promotion
will
include
advertisement
on
the
library
website,
print
signs
and
handouts
within

the
library,
press
releases,
social
networking
(Facebook,
Twitter,
Google+)
event
notifications,
newspaper
ads,
as
well
as

the
local
cable
TV
and
radio
stations.
Within
the
community,
publicity
will
stretch
to
local
businesses,
school
websites,

neighboring
libraries,
and
movie
theaters.
Lorain
County
also
has
several
summer
youth
theaters
that
take
place
between

the
months
of
June-‐August,
and
will
be
contacted
with
the
program
information
for
any
interested
participants
from
these

local
theaters.

Before
the
Event

Confirmation
emails
will
be
sent
out
to
those
that
registered
for
the
event
several
days
before
to
reiterate
start
time
and

room
number.
The
librarian
instructing
the
session
will
make
sure
the
room
is
clean,
set
up
with
working
computers
and

projector,
test
the
sound
from
the
website,
and
place
an
order
for
light
snacks
(liquids
in
closed
containers).

7


Day
of
the
Event

Have
handouts
and
surveys
printed
out
and
in
place
at
the
computer
lab.
Alert
library
staff
of
the
program
in
case
they

receive
directional
questions
or
confusion.
Session
will
last
2
hours,
with
a
15-‐minute
break
in
between:
preliminary
survey

issued
at
the
beginning
to
gauge
skill
level/interest,
instruct
on
goals
of
program,
show
how
to
use
Xtranormal,
give
time

for
teens
to
create
movie,
screen
them
and
award
prize
for
winner,
give
out
evaluation
survey
at
the
end.
See
the

‘Appendix’
session
for
full
lesson
plan
and
handout
that
will
be
provided
to
participants.

After
the
Event

Determine
what
worked
and
what
didn’t.
Was
the
session
too
short?
Should
it
be
spaced
out
a
couple
days?
Should
the

screening
take
place
on
a
separate
day,
with
the
option
of
inviting
family/friends
to
watch?
Did
the
teens
enjoy
the

experience?
Were
they
bored?
Confused?
Did
they
abuse
the
privilege
(make
lewd/inappropriate
movies)?
How
can
we

expand
this
program?
Offer
a
wider
age
group?
Themes?

Conclusion
Digital
storytelling
is
a
fun,
innovative
and
creative
way
to
bring
an
otherwise
apathetic
group
into
the
library
for
a
‘skies

the
limit’
type
of
activity.
With
the
help
of
the
instructional
librarian,
they
will
leave
with
the
skills
and
tools
to
go
off
and

create
their
own
digital
movies,
show
their
friends,
and
(hopefully)
look
into
more
fun
events
held
at
the
Lorain
Public

Library.
The
cost
is
minimal
in
comparison
to
the
opportunity
of
involving
teens
in
the
library
while
promoting
visibility
and

increasing
digital
components
to
library
instruction.

8


Appendix

9


Xtranormal: Digital Storytelling
Ages 14-18
A text-to-movie tutorial July 23, 2012

Overview Materials
Xtranormal’s motto is as follows: “If you can type, you can make a movie.” The session will take place in the
This free online feature will be used to exemplify an interactive method of main instructional computer lab at the
digital storytelling, with a screening of the final productions as the end result of library. Students will utilize
the instruction.
! Handouts & Surveys

Objectives ! PC/laptops for each user
During this 2-hour session, students will
! Internet connection
! Discuss what makes a great digital story
! Familiarize themselves with the basics of the site, as well as the movie ! Computer and projector with
editor with simple to follow interface sound
! Work alone or in groups of 2-3 to create their own digital story ! Prizes for Xtranormal winner

Activities

! Distribute handouts and discuss instruction agenda Other Resources
! Present slideshow on Xtranormal with step-by-step instructions on Students will be asked to incorporate
how to create a movie using the program, concluding with an example at least one story from a physical
of a finished movie
book in the library to their own digital
creations. These selections will be
! Address questions and ideas for possible text-to-movie projects
done prior to the instructional session,
and they will be given the call #’s for
! Devote remaining time for students to create their own Xtranormal
movie – either alone or in small groups the books they have chosen. This type
of ‘scavenger hunt’ activity will help
! Showcase the finished results at the library to the public on a different familiarize the students with the
day – the winner (chosen by a combination of their peers and audience layout of the printed materials in the
vote) will receive two (2) movie passes, a LPL canvas tote bag, and library, while also providing a focus
have their movie displayed on the library website for their digital stories.

! Survey the students, both before and after the library instruction
session to gain their input on previous movie-making knowledge and
how they felt about using Xtranormal in a library setting
Contact Info

Jessica Smith
Evaluation
Reference & Instruction Librarian,
Participants of the session will be given a short paper survey, both before and
at the end of the instruction session, to gather feedback on any previous movie- Lorain Public Library
making experience, their thoughts on Xtranormal as a learning tool and/or for
(555) 123-4567
entertainment, and the value of the instruction from that of the librarian.
Students will also ‘evaluate’ one another’s work by voting on their favorite jsmith@lpl.org
digital story and help pick a winning movie.

10

Xtranormal: A text-to-movie tutorial 1


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Xtranormal library program

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