Thing 19 - Podcasting

Podcasts are a wonderful way to broadcast information and opinion. I had some exposure to podcasts from library school, but with this Thing, I feel just overwhelmed by how many podcasts are out there!

I played around in a few podcast directories--the MPR podcast site (in fact, I added the site to my "23 Things" bookmarks, because the site seems to have quite a few podcasts for news and music). I listened, just for the heck of it, to a podcast about Jimi Hendrix on the "Facemelter" set at the MPR site. The hosts were very funny and the music sounded great, even on my little laptop speakers.

Then, I moved to Podcast.com, and even established an account there. I don't know if I'll use my Podcast account much, but I did add a few podcasts to my Bloglines account - "Book Lust" with Nancy Pearl, and "The Marketplace of Ideas," which I found by searching for "literature." I found "Book Lust" by simply specifying the title; I've always enjoyed reading Nancy Pearl's essays, and now I can listen to them! I have no idea what to expect with "The Marketplace of Ideas," but it looked promising.

Here is a link to the "Book Lust" podcast that I listened to, and which I would highly recommend. I'm looking forward to listening to more Nancy Pearl podcasts.

http://video.seattle.gov:8080/podcasts/BookLust/JustinaChenHeadley.mp3

I think it would be so much fun to make podcasts and put them out there; even more fun if people would listen to them. I did find myself trying to multi-task while I was listening, like I wasn't doing enough! I found it a little disconcerting to not have printed words in front of me, to be just listening, but I think I could adjust.

Libraries could really utilize podcasting! For book reviews and author interviews (like "Book Lust"), or for training purposes (how to use the library, even in its "1.0" format). The possibilities are endless!