Podcasts and audio files and blogging along

It was interesting to spend some time learning about podcasts and audio files, and seeing how libraries have utilised these digital media files.

On the Orange Country Library Service podcasts that I accessed a 5 min. 16 sec. MP3 audio podcast by author, comedian, and former Saturday Night Live cast member Finesse Mitchell when he visited Orlando Public Library to talk about his new book, Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much. It would be great to record talks given by speakers at our own local library and making these available as podcasts.

I also accessed an OCLS Children's Podstory called The lion and the rabbit in MP3 format, that went for 3 min. 50 sec. I did wonder what copyright implications there may be for recording children's picture books, when the author of the folktale was not even mentioned in the description text about the podcast. This might be an interesting way for parents to avoid reading to their young children at bedtime - they could play them a podcast instead. This might be great to entertain young children too when travelling long distances in cars, trains, boats and planes.

It was interesting too to see how differently the British Library and the ABC use podcasts. The British Library's podcasts appear to generally be quite long, and about authors, collections, etc. such as the one I listened to on "Saving St Catherine's Monastery Library" (MP3, 50 min., 20 MB), which was a recorded talk given by speaker Dr Nicholas Pickwoad at the British Library.

The ABC podcasts of course have a different focus, being more topical, and generally on news and current affairs topics - podcasts are grouped by the following subjects: arts & entertainment, community & lifestyle, education, health, kids, news & analysis, religion, science, and sport. I had a listen to the AM, News & Current Affairs podcast 30/4/08 30 min. 13 MB which is updated daily, and plays the morning news and current affairs on ABC Radio. This would be great for people travelling or at work who want to listen to the news where and when it suits them.

On the Library success wiki, I had a look at the Booktalks' quick and simple page, and listened to a MP3 podcast on the book by Hantman, Clea. 30 DAYS TO GETTING OVER THE DORK YOU USED TO CALL YOUR BOYFRIEND (a title that grabs your attention), where Nancy Keane gives a 47 sec. book review on this title.

Libraries could record all sorts of things such as talks by visiting authors, storytime book readings, oral history talks, book reviews, audio or video files on how to access and use library services, and provide these as podcasts to make these more widely available to their clients.

Libraries could also make podcasts available to their housebound service borrowers on topics that were of interest to them e.g. new and current affairs podcasts, or could advise their carers and family members how to find and access these podcasts on an ongoing basis (e.g. through RSS feeds).

On the Curtin University of Technology Library and Information Service page there are introduction to library services podcasts, under titles such as "borrowing", "databases", "internet searching", and "library etiquette" to help people to use the library.