Archived Event

A Beginner's Guide to Podcasting: Part 1 - A Consumer's Guide

Date : May 17, 2006
Start Time : 11 a.m. Eastern
Length : 01:00:00

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From a technical standpoint, podcasting refers to the distribution of audio files using an XML application called Really Simple Syndication (RSS) as the delivery system. But podcasting has come to signify so much more than its technical underpinnings. It's a revolution in the way audio content is produced and consumed. So much so, in fact, that the Oxford American Dictionary selected the term podcast as the "Word of the Year" in 2005. This two-part session SirsiDynix Institute will seek to remove some of the mystery surrounding podcasting and demonstrate the importance of this new media distribution model to libraries and librarians in meeting the information needs of your patrons.

In this first session, we will look at podcasting from a listener's perspective:
  • What is it and what's all the fuss about?
  • Why should I care?
  • What's out there waiting to be heard?
  • How do I tune in?
  • How can I find the content that matters to me?

Throughout this discussion, we will explore of a variety of audio programs and the tools that make them easy to find and easy to consume. This session lays the groundwork for the second part of this series, which will look at podcasting as a communication tool for your library.

Greg Schwartz ?Supervisor of Electronic Services, Louisville Free Public Library

Greg Schwartz has been instrumental in the development and implementation of an Instant Message-based reference service and has been heavily involved in a variety of other technology initiatives. Prior to his current position, Schwartz served the Louisville Free Public Library as a Circulation Support Supervisor and Assistant Branch Manager.

Schwartz is also the author of the Open Stacks weblog, which was nominated for a 2005 Edublog Award. In the past year, he has emerged as librarianship's most recognized voice in podcasting, turning Open Stacks into an audio forum for news and ideas related to "all things Information Science."

Schwartz holds an MSLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University.