Using Microsoft PowerPoint

Citation

(1999), "Using Microsoft PowerPoint", The Bottom Line, Vol. 12 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.1999.17012bad.002

Using Microsoft PowerPoint

Using Microsoft PowerPointGregory A.Crawford, Juijie J. Chen, Lisa R. Stimatz andGary W. WhiteNeal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.New York1998

Keywords: Presentations, Librarians

Librarians are eager to use PowerPoint, but it often seems like a difficult program to learn. The authors help the librarian to overcome their fear of this program and make it easy for the librarian to use it. The first two chapters are the core of the book. The authors begin with instructions on installing PowerPoint. This is followed by instructions in the use of AutoContent Wizard, which they label as a "quick way to get started". "The goal of the AutoContent Wizard is to get you started in designing your presentation by giving you a choice of several presentation types, by providing you with ideas for the structure of your presentation, and by organizing your presentation using predefined formats." Modifications may be made later. Having given the reader the basics, the rest of the chapters are for reference and deal with specific topics that can refine and customize the presentation. Chapter three offers advice on basic editing. Chapter four discusses ways you can view your PowerPoint presentation including an Outline View, a Notes View, a Slide Sorter View, and a Slide Show View. Chapter five provides tips on enhancing the text of your presentation including changing font, using bold, using italics, underlining, shadowing text and using bullets. In chapter six the authors discuss other special features that can be added to the presentation such as color, styles and types of backgrounds, builds within a slide, transitions between slides, using clip art, creating your own drawings, creating charts and graphs and adding sound and video. Chapter seven discusses using the master layouts to change the entire look of your presentation. Chapter eight discusses how to use the Help function effectively and chapter nine discusses how to customize the PowerPoint toolbar. There is an interesting chapter on how to use PowerPoint in libraries for enhancing library instruction, providing a virtual tour of the library, creating professional presentations and for training library personnel. Another chapter focuses on how to use PowerPoint with other Microsoft Office products such as an Excel worksheet in PowerPoint or PowerPoint slides in Word. Finally there are some concise and useful tips for presentations, a guide to shortcut commands and a glossary.

Librarians and others will find this book extremely useful. The many illustrations provide visual reinforcement of the concepts discussed. This book is easy to follow and will help the novice to get started with PowerPoint.