My Pod or Yours? How Podcasting fits in with your library and your life Medical Library Association - Greater Midwestern Region Technology Forum 2006 Max.

My Pod or Yours?My Pod or Yours?How Podcasting fits in with your library and How Podcasting fits in with your library and

your lifeyour life

Medical Library Association - Greater Midwestern Region

Technology Forum 2006Max Anderson, SOLINET

October 10, 2006

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Podcasting definedPodcasting defined

“Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.”

- Wikipedia

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So, in EnglishSo, in English

• People can subscribe to regularly updated audio content• They don’t NEED to subscribe though, more on that later

• Automatic downloads of new content

• Podcasting= iPod + Broadcasting• Typically audio files are .mp3 files

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The biggest myth: The biggest myth: “You need to buy an iPod!”“You need to buy an iPod!”

• You don’t need an iPod to listen to it (or any other dedicated .mp3 player really)

• You can listen to audio files on your computer if you wish (or your smart phone, your pda, your digital media player)

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How do you access a How do you access a podcast?podcast?

• Via your computer and internet connection

• Using a tool for downloading content• Receiver• Aggregator• Can be a website (e.g. bloglines), or a program like Juice or iTunes OR even the website of the podcast itself

• Listen to the content• Computer• .mp3 player, etc.

Same thing, different name

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Finding podcasts via Finding podcasts via iTunesiTunes

• Music Store>Podcasts• Cost

http://www.apple.com/itunes

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Listening to a podcast via Listening to a podcast via iTunesiTunes

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Download and listenDownload and listen

• Once you have downloaded the content, you can play it via iTunes

• Or transfer it to your iPod• What about other options?

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Other ways to find, Other ways to find, subscribe, listensubscribe, listen

• Juice, http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/

• NewzCrawler, http://www.newzcrawler.com/

• RSSRadio, http://www.dorada.co.uk/• @Podder (for the visually impaired)http://www.apodder.org/

• Bloglines, http://bloglines.com• Lots of them out there

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What other ways can you What other ways can you find them?find them?

• Look for the button• Copy Link Location• Paste into your aggregator• Don’t see the button?• Search for podcasts

• Podcast Alley• Podcast.net• iTunes• Bloglines, etc.

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Search for podcastsSearch for podcasts

• Example: • Search in http://podcastalley.com/ for “libraries”

• Skim list for one you are interested in

• Click on “Get Podcast”• Copy URL into your aggregatorhttp://www.palinet.org/rss/tech-conversations/tc1.xml

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Result set from search…

…then add the feed to your aggregator

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Listening via BloglinesListening via Bloglines

To listen, click on the play button!

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C’mon, everybody’s doing C’mon, everybody’s doing it!it!

• Don’t do it just because “everyone” is doing it

• BUT it is an interesting medium of communication for your patrons

• And if you do it, remember to regularly record podcasts or people will not come back (to listen to yours)

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What can the library What can the library podcast?podcast?

• Upcoming events• News• Tours• Bibliographic Instruction• Interviews with local authors• Teen book reviews• Anything else you can think of?

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Does podcasting fit in with Does podcasting fit in with the library's’ mission and the library's’ mission and

vision?vision?

• Does it fit in with your library’s goals?

• Does it fit in with your library’s communication strategy?

• Have your patrons asked for it?

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Podcasting in librariesPodcasting in libraries• Thomas Ford Memorial Library

• “Click-a-Story” – stories for kids read by staff

• http://www.fordlibrary.org/rss/• Arizona State University

• Library Channel – news about what is going on in the ASU libraries

• http://www.asu.edu/lib/podcasts/• J. J. Hill Reference Library

• “offers educational programs and business learning seminars with featured speakers on a variety of topics”

• http://www.jjhill.org/Events/podcasts.cfm• Western Kentucky University Libraries

• Offer audio library tours via a podcast PLUS lectures

• http://www.wku.edu/Library/podcast/index.html

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Anatomy of a podcastAnatomy of a podcast

• A podcast is based on RSS technology

• RSS is a specific use of XML• RSS makes content available to be published and viewed/listened to/etc. elsewhere

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What do you need to make a What do you need to make a podcast?podcast?

• Computer• Internet connection• Microphone• Audio editor• Server space

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How to podcastHow to podcast1. Decide on your content2. Get equipment and people together3. Record4. Post-production5. Listen to your work before

publishing6. Upload to server7. Create feed (RSS)8. Publish9. Promote

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Including music on your Including music on your podcast?podcast?

• Some things to keep in mind:• Read the Podcasting Copyright Guide

• http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide

• Learn about Creative Commons Licensing• http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

• Podsafe Music Network• http://podsafemusicnetwork.com

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You might need to edit your You might need to edit your audioaudio• Windows

• Adobe Audition, http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/

• Pro Toolshttp://www.digidesign.com

• Macintosh• Garagebandhttp://www.apple.com/ilife

• Also check out Audacity – free, open source and multi-platform• http://audacity.sourceforge.net

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Two terms to know wellTwo terms to know well• Sample rate

• Like frames of a movie• The higher the rate, the larger the file• 44.100 kHz is typical (set this before recording)

• Bit rate• Amount of information processed per unit of time (bits/sec)

• Higher number is better, but larger file• 64 kbps for voice and double for music

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Using Audition to Using Audition to PodcastPodcast

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What other types of What other types of podcasts (non-library) are podcasts (non-library) are

out there?out there?• SirsiDynix Institutes• http://sirsidynixinstitute.com/podcast.php

• Radio OpenSource• http://radioopensource.org

• Eat Feed• http://eatfeed.com

• NPR• http://www.npr.org

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Some podcasting Some podcasting aggregatorsaggregators

• BlogMatrix - http://www.blogmatrix.com/sparks_main/

• Doppler – http://www.dopplerradio.net/

• Even BlogLines can do this now…

How can I tell if there is a podcast on a site?

• Example of what to look for: http://www.onthemedia.org/

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Selected ResourcesSelected Resources• Audacity, http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

• GarageBand, http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband

• Wikipedia article on Podcasting, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

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More Selected ResourcesMore Selected Resources• Learning to Speak, http://www.higheredblogcon.com/index.php/learning-to-speak-creating-a-library-podcast-with-a-unique-voice/

• Podcasting Newshttp://www.podcastingnews.com/

• Podcasting with Windows (by Zef Hemel) http://www.zefhemel.com/upload/CreatingAPodcastingShowOnWindows.pdf

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Podcast DirectoriesPodcast Directories

• iPodder http://www.ipodder.org• iTunes http://www.apple.com/itunes• Podcast.net http://www.podcast.net• PodcastAlley http://podcastalley.com

• Yahoo! http://podcasts.yahoo.com/• There are lots of them out there…

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What will your patrons What will your patrons think?think?

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Thank you!Thank you!

Questions?

Max AndersonEmail: [email protected]

Phone: 1-800-999-8558