Podcasts and Audio

Discovery

Podcasts is yet another application within 2.0 that makes the accessibility to otherwise very technical applications much more available to the average person. Looking at the different recommended sites with podcasts gives a good idea of how pod casting can be used in general. I was impressed with the ABC site and being able to look within a subject area and then a broadcast under the topic of interest. I like the ability, when you subscribe to a particular podcast, to continue to get updated RSS feeds.

Going to the Orange County Library Service, I noticed all the different ways to subscribe to the podcasts, eg. through RSS Subscribe, Bloglines, ITunes, my Yahoo, google etc.

Libraries and Podcasts
Looking at the examples, libraries are using podcasts in promoting story time and adding to their client base by making story telling available to the home user, and to make available special speeches and historical talks that have happened within a library. An example of a free down loadable file of a recording - (British Library) , extract from new CD introduced by the Curator of Drama, Steve Cleary called "The spoken word: Evelyn Waugh", with an exclusive clip from the CD of Waugh reading.

Podcasts and promotion
One really good way that my library could utilise this application, would be in promoting services to library clientele and the wider public. I can envisage work shops where staff could work on doing tutorials on the use of under used services like the subscription databases. To make people aware of these services, we could prepare podcasts of purely promotional material for local radio and to go over the loud speaker system in the library at certain times of the day eg. during after school hours, a podcast saying:- having trouble finding the right information for your assignment. Did you know that you can access twenty different databases on the libraries internet computers. We have comprehensive databases on science, health,newspaper articles etc. These promotional podcasts could be as specific or as general to meet the requirements at the time.