Podcasts (20 of 23 Things)

I checked out a good number of library podcasts. Some good, some not so good. I liked the podcasts of author talks and musician performances; for kids, I liked the book talks and the teen endeavors. By podcasting these special programs with authors and performances, patrons unable to attend the physical gathering can benefit. On the negative side, it also gives patrons a reason to not attend - they can always catch it online later - library stats go down and fewer people wall through the doors.

One library had a whole slew of nursery rhyme podcasts. There were no pictures, just a very short recording of a librarian reciting a single nursery rhyme. Also several of the libraries I looked at podcasted the reading of picture books. Again, no pictures and even most had no graphic while you listened - no page "dings' either. These can't be intended for children - the whole idea, or at least half the idea, of a picture book are the pictures!!! Having a disembodied voice from a computer reading a picture book leaves me cold! Where's the cozy lap, or energetic story time atmosphere? And of course, the pictures!! I'm not sure who these are suppose to serve. Perhaps adults in a ESL community, so they can hear the language and pronounce it better for their children?

I loved the book talks for readers. Short and sweet and to the point. I think using pod and video casts for the teens is a winning combination. Technology and teens and their ultra-tech existence makes sense and hopefully draws them into the library.