Flickr is an online photo sharing site that allows users to tag, upload, and share pictures. As you will remember from our previous lesson, a tag is a keyword. Tagging is the process of assigning tags to content, for retrieval at a later date. You can also browse collections of photographs submitted by others. The site includes pictures of weddings, birthday celebrations, fireworks, pets, and more.
The Flickr service offers both free and fee accounts. The free version includes 100MB monthly upload limit (10MB per photo), three sets, photostream views limited to the two-hundred most recent images, and the ability to post any of your photos in up to 10 group pools. However, you will only have access to the resized images. Options are available for keeping your images private or making them public. In addition, you can assign all rights reserved or a creative commons license to your photographs. A creative commons license permits others to use your images.
For $24.95, you can upgrade to the pro account. The pro version includes archiving of high-resolution original images, the ability to replace a photo and post any of you photos or videos in up to 60 group pools, ad-free browsing and sharing, unlimited photo uploads (20MB per photo), unlimited video uploads (90 seconds max), unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited photosets, and statistics.
For those of you with a creative side, you may wish to try Flickr mashups, which allow you to create something new by combining multiple applications. When you enter a word on Spell with Flickr, this service spells the word using letters displayed in Flickr pictures. FD’s Flickr Toys provides a variety of tools that let you let you do all sorts of things with your photos. Try making an identification card, creating your own personal magazine cover, or build a jigsaw puzzle from your photographs.
Readings
Farkas, M. (2007, September). Pixels Worth 1,000 Words. American Libraries, 38(8), 42-42. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.
Gordon, R., & Stephens, M. (2006, November). Priceless Images: Getting Started with Flickr. Computers in Libraries, 26(10), 44-45. Retrieved September 12, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.
Newbie’s’ Guide to Flickr. Retrieved September 18, 2008, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9703620-2.html.
7 Things You Should Know About . . . Flickr. (2008, February). Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7034.pdf.
Examples
American Library Association: Annual Conference 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ala_members/sets/72157605895561521/
Binghamton University Libraries: Tour Bartle Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/binglib/sets/72157604242534400/
Wake Forrest University: Z. Smith Reynolds Library
http://flickr.com/photos/zsrlibrary/sets/
University of Alabama at Huntsville Library
http://flickr.com/photos/uahlibrary/sets/
Activity #1
Sign up for a free account with Flickr. Now that you have an account, explore Flickr. Choose a month and start browsing the photographs. Create a post that includes a link to your favorite Flickr photograph on your blog. Tell us why you like it. Can’t find anything you like? Try browsing the Smithsonian Images on Flickr and the Library of Congress Images on Flicker Pilot Project for interesting photographs. Or, search Flickr by entering keywords of your topic of interest.
Activity #2
Upload two pictures to your Flickr account. Do not upload a picture with personally identifiable information (family, you, etc.). The pictures can be anything. You might want to upload a picture of your flower garden, pet, bird feeder, office, tree in your yard, coffee cup, etc. Create a post that includes a link to your Flickr pictures and any legendary story about your pictures on your blog. If necessary, you can borrow the library’s digital camera to take your photographs. Make sure you also include the tag “fjtl20” in your description. Later in the week, search Flickr for the tag “fjtl20″ to see pictures uploaded by other participants.
Tips
- Do not break the copyright law by uploading images that you do not own. Only upload photographs which you took. Do not upload someone else’s photographs. Do not upload a picture you copied from the Internet. All images and text are automatically copyrighted, even if you do not see a copyright notice or symbol.
- If you photographs contain images of other individuals, you must obtain written permission from that individual(s), before you upload the picture.
- Please read the Flickr Community Guidelines.
Activity #3
Blog about your exploration with Flickr. Did you discover some innovative ways libraries can incorporate Flickr to improve library services? Will you use Flickr to share your personal photographs?
