#17

Podcasting is but one component of the ubiquitous "on-demand" nature of media these days.  The quality distinguishing it from the crowd is the fact that its existence is what seems to have ushered in the move to on-demand.  We see it from cable companies, streaming services on the web and web-ready devices, and it's manifested in a number of other outlets in a less extreme way (satellite radio, Netflix).  Podcasting came into existence after iTunes and the iPod revolutionized the (digital) music world (podcasting is not named so because of Microsoft's Zune!), allowing radio broadcasts, educational lectures, how-to instructions, and anything else that can be recorded or broadcast to be saved as a file and loaded onto a portable digital audio device.

Libraries can (and do) use podcasting to their benefit, but I'm dubious as to how many potential targets they actually reach.  In a cursory Google search, I found that the Denver Public Library has podcasts on their site of interviews with children's book authors, as well as story readings.  These are great ideas, but is anyone really checking these out?  I certainly support the presence of these media, but I wonder how well they are marketed to library users, and whether users care enough to check them out even if they are aware of them.

Being a big fan of my iPod, I am unsure why I haven't previously checked out podcasts much at all.  I plan on doing so, especially when considering the breadth of content available via this medium.  Determined to play catch-up in reversing this trend of mine, I've subscribed to an awesome sixties soul show that airs on New York's WFMU entitled Downtown Soulville with Mr. Fine Wine, which proclaims it airs music from the DJ's personal 45 RPM record collection.  Quite a cool find for anyone who's into obscure music from a bygone era.  (I tried searching for many of the titles via the handy playlist that accompanies each podcast, and found the majority of the titles completely out of print, even in digital formats!)  I think a cool idea for libraries could be having podcasts of readings from rare books (possibly ones unique to that library's collection), although this may be a more apropos recommendation for archives or museums.  Since rare books' accessibility by the public is limited if possible at all, this would be a great way for people to have access to something they wouldn't normally.