As an Open Source project with no technological or geographical restrictions, ANTS welcomes participation from professional librarians everywhere. ANTS is more than a sharing project --- it is also a test case for how to collaborate regardless of distance. As such ANTS has two important goals:

1. To "create a critical mass of Open Source Tutorials for online resources used by libraries everywhere"
2. To eliminate duplication of effort across institutions.

In order to facilitate this, we have provided librarians with a central repository where they can both upload and download files, as well as the means to communicate what work is being done across institutions. If you would like to contribute to this worthy project, simply follow the instructions provided below:

Step 1: Check the list of tutorials identified for development.

This list indicates the databases and resources the ANTS team has identified as relevant to the project and our audience.There are additional separate lists for information literacy tutorials, literacy tutorials, data and GIS tutorials, and tutorials for handicapped users. If you do not see your topic or resource listed, contact the ANTS team to see if the resource or topic covered in your tutorial is appropriate for the project.

Step 2: Adopt a tutorial.

Step 3: Check the ANTS project guidelines and the Best Practices in Screencasting.

Since the tutorial will be shared with other libraries, please refrain from referring to institutional specific services and resources so as to ensure the broadest possible audience. If you've already created a tutorial, this may mean editing or removing content that refers specifically to your home institution. While brief and flexible, the guidelines are meant to ensure continuity in presentation style and content among the various tutorials submitted to the project.

Step 4: Upload your project to ANTS.

Step 5: Notify Others of the New Content

Perhaps one of the most important things you should do is update the Wiki list once a tutorial is completed / updated and uploaded to ANTS. This step ensures that everyone knows that current content exists for a particular tutorial - thereby helping to eliminate redundancy of effort.

Identify Tutorials for Development Any librarian wishing to participate in this initiative can do so. If you wish to create a tutorial for a specific e-resource, begin by consulting our list of online resources identified as high priority for development. The list contains:

1. a listing of which electronic products are most in use and in most need of tutorial development
2. a listing of which tutorial are currently being worked on, or have been completed by other librarians.

Alternatively, if you wish to create another type of tutorial, consult our List of:

1. Information Literacy Tutorials Identified for Development,
2. Literacy Tutorials,
3. Data and GIS Library Tutorials, and
4. Tutorials for Handicapped Users.

These lists are part of this wiki and as a result, people can not only learn which tutorial they would like to develop, but also post which ones they are working on, completed, or have recently updated. You can even post the name of a specific type of tutorial that you would like to see developed if it is not a part of the list. You will have to register for this Wiki but it is very easy to do.

Adopt a Tutorial

One goal of this initiative is to encourage people to take responsibility for creating and updating one Tutorial. This will enable everyone to have access to current Tutorials despite changes made to databases, e-journal or e-book search engines by vendors or publishers. If you have consulted the list and wish to adopt a Tutorial, please let others know by posting all relevant information on this Wiki so that others will know it is being handled. Relevant information should include:

• Name of the E-Resource a tutorial is being designed for
• Name of the Vendor for the e-resource
• Name of the Tutorial
• Your Name and Contact Information
• If you are working on an update to an existing tutorial

Note: There are several RSS feeds to the left of this page which will then notify others anytimes someone has Adopted or Completed a specific tutorial. To learn all about how to see the latest changes to the site read our section on RSS Feeds in our FAQ.

Once the Tutorial is completed:

• Go to D-Space and load the tutorial (to learn how to load the tutorial go to: Uploading tutorials to the DSpace Shared Tutorial Database.)
• Come back to this Wiki and indicate that its is completed, or that you have updated a previous tutorial (including the date / version for the Tutorial). Then post a link to the tutorial's Full Record in DSpace.

Upon notification on the Wiki, and uploading the Tutorial onto D-Space:

• People using the Wiki List's RSS feed will be notified that you have completed or updated a tutorial. (NOTE: To learn all about how to see the latest changes to the site read our section on RSS Feeds in our FAQ.)
• People who have taken the time to subscribe to D-Space will be told that there is new content at D-Space. (Instructions on Subscribing can be found at: Uploading Tutorials to the DSpace Shared Tutorial Database.)

Review the Guidelines

Another important step is to read the brief Guidelines for Building Animated Tutorials which provides an overview of some basic elements identified as important to each Tutorial. These guidelines are very generic and outline:

• the basic content that everyone would naturally expect to see in a Tutorial. (i.e. remember to include a full record)
• important information on what information to include or exclude about accessing documents - dependant upon which features are included in different databases.
• some basic design elements that enable Tutorials to be exchanged readily (such as using standardized fonts and colors.)
• some practical advice on Animated Tutorial building (such as recommended viewing times for Tutorials, sequencing, context, etc.)

The guidelines are there to ensure (1) that a minimum standard is met in each Tutorial and (2) that they are relevant to all participating libraries. The accessing resources requirements, in particular, will work to ensure that local holdings information is taken into account. Please read them carefully.

It is Best to Include Audio

Although this issue was not addressed in the initial draft of the Guidelines, they were recently included in their update. This is a direct result of a discussion held in the 2005 COPPUL Public Services Group where everyone agreed that Audio makes for a better viewing experience and makes Screencasts easier to follow. Consequently, they are now an additional prerequisite.