Podcasts are good for auditory learners or even the visually
impaired. Along with story time, they
might also be used for giving information, library news, book reviews, directions
(i.e. how to get a library card or renew books online), interviews, helpful
information about finances, health, etc., and maybe even “word-of-the-day”,
although that would require daily website upkeep. Podcasts might take a longer time to produce,
but I believe they add interest and would also be helpful to people whose
primary modality is not visual.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Podcasts and MP3s - Some Uses in the Library
Podcasts may have many uses in the library. Perhaps the greatest use that I can think of
is one that I have included in a previous blog; one that is already used in the
Sarasota County Library system, as well as others. At www.sclibs.net,
podcasts are used in the “Kidszone” section for recorded stories and poems. They also have Vodcasts, which are story-time
videos. Both are funded by the Kiwanis
Club of South Sarasota and are read by volunteers or by the story’s
author. The selection is very small,
however, which makes me wonder how popular they are and if very many people
know they exist. I do believe that this
use of Podcasts and MP3s has a lot of potential. It just needs to be better developed and marketed. Also, if it is a picture book that is being
read, unless the child has the book in front of them, interest would be
lost. This is where the Vodcast would be
better.
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I had not thought about the visually impaired when I wrote my post. Podcasts are not simply a great way to read people but they could sometimes be the only way to reach them. If we really want libraries to serve the entire public they need to have resources that speak to the entire patronage. Podcasts do take a little bit of planning and time to produce but once you get the hang of it you can create one really quickly and they don't require any software that costs money!!!!!
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