A case study of the nasa.ibiblio.org Web site was undertaken to deepen the current understanding we have of how educators search for and use online video information in classroom settings. Three methods were used to conduct a user needs assessment: transaction log analysis, online survey, and cognitive walkthrough interviews. The findings support previous research which found educators used videos with difficult topics and they used them to help students visualize concepts. In the study, visual surrogates of video were evaluated and educators suggested a series of revisions which would make them more interactive. Some educators were able to compensate for the system’s lack of educational standards metadata by applying their personal knowledge to the system. The major contributions of this dissertation are the introduction of the Web of Criteria, the recommendations for educational digital libraries and implications for the design of storyboard and posterframe visual surrogates. Findings from the current study and from previous research suggested social interactions educators have are important and need to be facilitated in digital environments. Digital library providers might view the interface as the point where they can intervene and lessen the barriers educators have to retrieving educational information
