Week 9 - Podcasts & Audio

Oh the joys of IT restrictions.....
or that of dial-up.........
I did manage to listen to a podcast from the British Library - I elected to listen to a shorter podcast due to download time and I listened to Steve Cleary, Curator of Drama and Literature, introduces the new British Library CD. 'The Spoken Word: Evelyn Waugh', with an exclusive clip from the CD of Waugh reading from his own work 'Half in Love with Easeful Death'.
Recorded on 17 March 2008.

Unfortunately, when I went to investigate ABC, I discovered that I did not have the software (and I wasn't able to download) required to listen to the podcasts...I found the subject options and tried a couple of different options, but to no avail as you need to copy the URL into your podcast program (such as Juice Receiver or iTunes)

Explore
I listened to Worthington Libraries rhyme "This is the way the ladies ride" podcast which is obviously aimed at a Born to Read/Lapsit program - although it would be great for a parent to learn such rhymes etc to perform with their baby, it certainly is not a substitute for the face-to-face contact of storytimes etc. Young children (and even older children) need to see the facial expressions and actions in reading stories etc - not just listen to a story on a podcast. Having said that, this may be a useful resource for a library to access different rhymes, songs etc to use in their programs conducted in the library. Anyhow, the link for Worthington's podcasts for children is available at Worthington Libraries - Programs2Go

I also investigated Booktalks Quick and Simple and discovered
Audiobook clips from Listening Library which highlights the popularity of audiobook collections in libraries - with the growing number of audiobooks becoming available in MP3 format as opposed to CD format - as many new cars for example, have MP3 & CD compatible players - the demand for MP3 format is increasing....

Podcasts for clients and staff - I could see the benefits of using Podcasts for staff sharing ideas, resources etc in a situation where geographically, the branch libraries are literally hundreds of kms apart.

This also raises the need for clients in such areas having access to podcasts (for example, storytimes) - even though I value the face-to-face aspect of storytimes, I believe it is of greater importance for children in remote areas to not miss out.

How could a metropolitan or regional library use Podcasts? Perhaps for oral histories within the Local Studies collection? For special guest talks?
Although podcasts could be useful in libraries for clients and staff, I do believe people would much rather 'watch' the person they are listening to rather than simply 'listening' - otherwise you wonder if they are in fact 'listening' or concentrating on something else/other tasks etc. People often say they like Audiobooks because they can listen whilst they work, do the housework, drive long distances etc - there are just so many other distractions - I wonder if people actually absorb all that they hear? Which begs the question, are YouTube and Google Videos the better option for Oral Histories and Special Guest talks?