Podcasting to the Public

This week in class we have been studying podcasts.   Basically a podcast is an audio file that you can listen to through a media program, such as winamp or windows media.  It’s is similar to a radio show format, without the commercials.  Some podcasts follow a format, and some are just the creator talking about whatever is going on in their life at the time.

 The first time I heard a podcast was about 5 years ago when my brother clued me into a Kevin Smith show.  I always thought podcasts were just another cool way to have fun on the internet, but I had never really given much thought to how they could be used in a library setting.  I had no idea that there were so many libraries making use of podcasts, and the reasons actually really impressed me as well.  We looked over several podcast shows and one that really stood out to me was the story time shows.  I really liked the LA public library show, they had a reading of the giving tree and I just thought it was a making great use of the technology.

The Duggan library also had an impressive podcast on book reviews.  However, while it was very informative, it was indeed very boring.  The creator obviously knew the topic very well, he had an extensive knowledge of book reviews, but the monotone drawl completely lost me.  It was very informative but I will not be subscribing to their RSS feed anytime soon.

I think there is a time and a place for libraries to be making podcasts.  In my home town public library I am willing to best you would not get many people paying attention to your show.  However, if a librarian was so inclined I think they should do a podcast regardless of whether or not they make the front page of the newspaper.  I think there is more opportunity for podcasts in the school libraries; young people are more likely to actually use the podcasts.  It would be great for the students to be able to access shot internet use podcasts, since studies have shown that students are not particularly keen on asking their librarians for assistance.  Also, they would then be able to listen to the podcast at home rather than having to be at the school, so there is definitely something to be said for the convenience factor.

                I am glad to see so many libraries taking part in podcasts, I do not think they will be going out of style in the near future, but the way technology is going it is very tough to say.  Like I said earlier I think the podcast is more suited to the school libraries, but in cities I’m sure they would be used as well.  When we have our first work experience for this course I am set up to go back to Winkler to work, and I am tempted to do some research and possibly make a trial podcast just to see what happens.  I’m interested to know if patrons would bother to listen; it’s possible they might shock me. 

Minneapolis Hip Hop

Social Anxiety

   Social media, a broad term used to describe a vast array of websites.  The general accepted definition is “A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us,  Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction.”  So, they are pretty much websites that are focused on a user created experience, like the wiki, content is supplied by the sites users.
    I was particularly intrigued by social bookmarking.  Users put link together their favorite pages, or articles, and organize them in fashion that makes it easy for other readers to find information pertaining to the given topic.  For example, I was browsing del.icio.us and found a hopefully helpful post to articles on how to quit smoking, which I plan to implement in the near future.  I perused several social bookmarking sites and found del.icio.us to be my favorite.  I found it easy to find interesting links and found it very easy to navigate.
    Social media definitely has a place in libraries.  Even if all the library wanted to focus on was using a site like facebook, it is a great way to keep people up to date.  It’s free, and it allows you unlimited reach to your patrons.  It is futile for libraries to fight technology and the longer they do, the harder it will be to catch up.  I think it would be great if I would see more libraries using social bookmarking as well, if done right it could be of great use to patrons.  For instance, I do not like going up to a librarian and asking for a book suggestion, for one, most strike fear in the hearts of men, and second, what do they know about the kind of books I would want to read?  Therefore, I would love to just pop onto a library bookmarking site and find suggestions based on books that I have already enjoyed.
    In closing, libraries need to take advantage of these golden opportunities the internet offers them. Now, before it’s tooooo laaaate.

In a Wiki World

                Wikis, finally a topic I have some familiarity with.  I have been using wikis for several years now, from Wikipedia to Wikihow.  Wikis are especially relevant in our increasingly speed driven society.  A wiki is a website that can either focus on a single subject or a broad range of topics.  The most popular being Wikipedia, it has pages on just about anything or anyone, you may have an interest in.  Wikis allow their users to edit and update the information, while this is often not the most accurate source for information gathering, it’s a great way to get a quick overview of a subject.

            I am a frequent user of wikis, if all I need is a quick run-down; often my first choice is to check Wikipedia.  As long as people bear in mind that, since wikis can be edited by anyone, they should not be using them as their chief source of information.  Generally the more popular a topic is, the more accurate the information is.  For example, if I want to find information on the moon landing it is likely that the information will be accurate because there are so many people on the web with an interest in the same topic.  I love using wikis, but I would steer clear of them if I was writing an essay.

            In my multimedia class, we went through 3 different wiki sites; Wikia, Wetpaint, and PBwiki.   I had not heard of any of these before.  My favorite out of the 3 was Wikia, it had any eye pleasing layout and was very easy to navigate.  I had trouble finding what I was looking for with the other 2, but I found the way the topics were sorted on Wikia to be very user friendly.  I think I will be using it in the future.

            I think there is a lot of use libraries could get out of wikis; it just requires thinking outside the box a little bit.  For example, you could index all the books in the libraries catalogue and give people a chance to write reviews.  You could also have recommendations given based on a book you liked.  Libraries can also usewikis to collaborate with one another.  Where I grew up, there were 4 libraries that worked together sharing materials, I’m sure they could make use of a cooperative wiki site.

Sage Francis - "The Best Of Times"

The Almighty RSS

                Before today I had never even heard of RRS feeds. It stands for really simple syndication and from what I gather so far it looks like it could make life on the internet a lot easier.  RSS feeds allow you to “subscribe” to a website or area of the website to get updates without actually having to visit the site.  In a way it’s kind of like getting a newsletter telling you what is going on with the site.  It makes it really simple because you can set all your feeds to be sent to the same destination so you can check all your sites at the same source.

                I’m the type of person that checks a select few websites religiously. There are about 5 sites that I check multiple times a day (all of which are highly educational).  With that being said, I think RSS feeds could really make my viewing quicker by not having to search for all the updates.  This is especially true on days where I only have a couple minutes to see what is going on in my worlds. It may even give me more of an opportunity to find new sites and blogs to add to my list, because it could cut down on the time I spend on each site.  I will definitely be signing up for some feeds to my favorite sites.

                I can’t read the future, not for a lack of trying, but I think RSS feeds are going to be around for a while. Which means librarians need to “get on that”, as the kids would say.  I think feeds are a great tool for all libraries and patrons, but I think they are most useful for massive public libraries.  Big libraries can have trouble tending to everybody’s request, so being able to let people know the latest news without having to inform everyone individually could save librarians and patrons a lot of time.  I’m sure even small libraries could find ways to utilize RSS technology; librarians are only limited by their imagination.  

Back on the blog

If you, like me, thought all blogs were good for was funny cat pictures and political trolling, then you’re in for a surprise.  These days’ blogs are being used by everyone from the suit and tie business man discussing the price of gold, to the guy in his mom’s basement analyzing the many flaws of “The Phantom Menace”.  Blogs are being used to spread information, and share opinions on almost any subject you can imagine.

I think blogging is a great tool.  Before I applied for school at red river I viewed several library blogs just to see what the average day was like for a library tech.  Blogs are excellent even if all you aim to do is keep friends in touch with the happenings of your life.  I have not had a blog for about 8 years but I did have a lot of fun with my blog in high school and still enjoy reading my friends blogs.   My only problem with blogs is the fact that they rely solely on the authors’ motivation, which can be a great thing, or a bad thing.      

I think there is still plenty of room for blogs to grow, and be utilized by library staff.  However, if nobody at the library is particularly inclined to update the blog regularly, they may want to look at other options.  Librarians know how hard it can be to advertise for a library so I think they should be taking advantage of the blogging opportunity.  On most sites it costs nothing to set up an account, and really how hard is it to update it once a week.  If librarians truly want to get the word out to people I think they can find a half hour a week to write a blog. I think this is especially true for the public libraries, but can be applied to all types.