The database is searchable, but it is also indexed by a variety of criteria. In addition to obvious categories like movie title and actor, the clips are also indexed by genre, occasion, mood and theme among others. One strange omission is production year. API access is available and the explanation shows that production year is part of the metadata, so I am not sure why this bit of information is not searchable.

And just because I can:

a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.

Similarly, the National Association for Media Literacy Education states:

Media literacy– the ability to ACCESS, ANALYZE, EVALUATE, and COMMUNICATE information in a variety of forms-is interdisciplinary by nature. Media literacy represents a necessary, inevitable, and realistic response to the complex, ever-changing electronic environment and communication cornucopia that surround us.

Although media literacy began as a reaction to the perceived negative influence of Mass Media during the middle of the 20th century, it has evolved to include and analysis and understanding of a variety of emerging media. In this way, media literacy is not much different than transliteracy, which The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) defines as:

an umbrella term encompassing different literacies and multiple communication channels that require active participation with and across a range of platforms, and embracing both linear and non-linear messages.

Despite the fact that print is a communication medium, media literacy tends to focus on non-print or non-text print materials. Transliteracy attempts to be broader. IFLA, in its report “Transliteracy: take a walk on a wild side,” quotes Sue Thomas, who defines transliteracy as “what it means to be literate in the 21st Century,” that is, having a “unifying perspective” on the ability to “read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.”

In this respect, media literacy can be considered a sub-topic of transliteracy. Regardless of how one chooses to use the terminology, the emerging field of transliteracy is building on the foundation set forth by media literacy.

Having a long-standing interest in media literacy in my work as a media librarian, the recent wave of interest in transliteracy fascinates me, and I hope to investigate and write more about it, especially as to how it relates to libraries.

Last year, I volunteered to create a wiki for the conference. I didn’t make the suggestion until very close to the conference, so not a lot of people participated. So, this year, I have already set-up the wiki, so there is plenty of time for people to contribute.

In addition, there will be a special meeting about digital rights the day before the conference. That information has not been posted to the official site or the wiki yet but should be available soon.

You can see my posts from the 2007 NMM here.

Wired reports that Netflix will be going exclusively with Blu-Ray, and ComingSoon.net reports that, although Best Buy will still carry HD DVD, it will “prominently showcase Blu-ray hardware and software products.”

And