The Library Success wiki defines podcasting as
a simple means of distributing audio content over the Internet, taking advantage of the power of RSS. Content consumers (end-users) can subscribe to a feed of a producer’s audio content and receive automatic downloads of new content as it is made available online.
Podcasts can be listened to on a computer or transferred to a portable audio device like an iPod or other MP3 player. Watch Common Craft’s video, Podcasting in Plain English, for an easy-to-understand introduction.
So what’s the difference between a podcast and the other ‘casting we’ve covered so far (vodcasts, screencasts)? For the purposes of this blog and grant, I’m referring to podcasts as audio files without video included.
Getting Started
To create a podcast, you’ll need some basic equipment:
- A microphone – we purchased a Blue Snowball and a Sennheiser headset with mic for you to try out.
- Or a portable recording device – give our Olympus portable recorder a try, also purchased with the grant money.
- Some software – the ‘Casting Kit laptop has 2 options for you to play with, Audacity (free) and ePodcast Producer.
A good place to get started is Cnet’s tutorial, which includes videos, on how to create your own podcast. Another good starting point is UW-Madson’s podcasting plus, a guide that includes everything from what podcasting is to how to create them to teaching & learning with podcasting. SirsiDynix Institute also has several archived presentations that will give you a good understanding of the basics. See:
- A Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting: Part 1 – A Consumer’s Guide by Greg Schwartz
- A Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting: Part 2 – A Creator’s Guide by Greg Schwartz
- What’s New in Podcasting?” a SirsiDynix archived presentation by David Free.
Other articles & sites you should take a look at:
- Podcasting Legal Guide
- How to Podcast Tutorial
- Project Play: Podcasts
- How-To: 10 Tips for Launching a Solid Podcast
- Library Podcasting Resources – a list from David Free
- Podcasting 101 wiki from Greg Schwartz
There are also tons of great books out there, just search for podcast? for a comprehensive list of books and articles.
Ideas and Examples
A few ideas for what your library could do:
- Record author visits and other library programming (with permission, of course!)
- Bibliographic instruction (where visuals aren’t a must)
- Guided walking tours
- Book reviews, new materials highlights, book discussions
- Oral histories from your community
- Community news
- Work with local teens to start their own podcast for the library (see An Outlet for Creativity: Plugging In with Teen-centered Podcasting by Meredith Farkas)
- Services for the visually impaired
Some library/librarian examples of podcasts to further inspire you:
- Boulder Public Library Teen Webcasts
- Denver Public Library podcasts: Stories for Kids!
- PLCMC’s LibraryLoft Podcasts
- Worthington Libraries: Programs to Go
- LibVibe: library news
- Uncontrolled Vocabulary: a live discussion of news, trends, and topics in librarianship
Other podcast examples from Libraryland are linked to on the Library Success wiki, so go explore! You can find other examples of podcasts, library-related or otherwise, using a podcast directory, such as Podcast Alley, iTunes, or podscope.
Using the ‘Casting Kit Equipment
Here are a couple of brief videos to get you started with the equipment purchased for the ‘Casting Kit:
- Microphones: Blue Snowball & Sennheiser headset
- Olympus portable recorder
You can download Audacity for free, if you’d like to be able to edit your podcasts on your own computer. Otherwise, you can try Audacity or ePodcast Producer on the ‘Casting Kit laptop. Here’s a video tutorial for ePodcast Producer and some additional tutorials on how to use it. If you happen to have a Mac, you probably already have GarageBand and could work with it.
Adding Music
You may want to consider adding music to your podcasts, but be sure to use music that isn’t copyrighted. There’s lots of free music out there that you can use under Creative Commons Licenses, and many people posting this music only ask that you attribute the work to them in the credits of your video. Check out this article about Using Music in Your Podcast for more recommendations for using podsafe music.
Here are some sites you can explore, just check the license for each song to see how you’re allowed to use it.
- Creative Commons: Audio – includes a list of other sites in a sidebar
- Podsafe Audio
- ccMixter
- podsafe music network
- Legal Music for Videos – a list of sites, along with good information on using songs with Creative Commons licenses on them
Choose a Host
Because the OWLS Web Services Policy states…
Member library staff may not load audio or video files on an OWLS web server. In order to conserve server space and bandwidth utilization, media projects (e.g., podcasts, vodcasts) should be hosted on remote sites recommended by the Library Services Manager.
… you will need to decide where you would like to post your podcasts. The current recommended hosts are available at http://www.owlsweb.info/web/hosts.asp and there are additional host options included in the del.icio.us links.
Embed!
Once you’ve posted your podcasts online, you’re almost done. The next step is to be sure to embed them in your library’s web site. Most hosts provide easily embeddable code for you to simply copy and paste into your web pages and/or blog(s). Doing this will ensure that your patrons will find your hard work and will be able to play the podcast right from the page without having to go to your remote host site.
Anything Else?
I have that feeling again that I’m forgetting something really important! I think the list of resources above should get you off to a good start, and besides, I’ll be here to lend a helping hand if/when you need it! 
All of the links included in this post are also in del.icio.us/castingkit.
Filed under: resources Tagged: | equipment, examples, hosts, ideas, podcasting, podcasts, software, tutorials
Hi Beth,
Appreciate the comprehensive post. However, I’m still amazed that people continue to make a distinction between audio and video when writing or speaking about podcasting. Wikipedia defines “podcast” properly as does the Common Craft video.
A podcast is a series of digital-media files, which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers.
Just hoping to bring a little clarity to the uninitiated.
Hi Doug,
I understand the definition of podcast as you describe above, however, when working with our member library staff I find it helpful to distinguish between audio and video as I feel it helps them visualize what equipment they may need for different kinds of ‘casting projects.
Many of them aren’t familiar with podcasting at all (which is the purpose of this grant project), so if I can break things into more manageable “chunks” by distinguishing between types of media it can be helpful.
Thanks for your comment! I appreciate your 2 cents.
Doug, what you’re saying is correct, but consider that when the term podcasting was coined, there were no commonly used portable media players with video capability. The word is born of audio content and, for many, that’s still the primary association.
Consider also that when I wrote that definition above, way back in January of 2006, the first video iPods had only been available for three months. The conversation about syndicating video was only just gathering steam and the nomenclature for syndicated video wasn’t fixed. It’s not really fixed now: Vodcasting, videocasting, etc. Note that Wikipedia has maintained a separate entry for Video podcast since April 2005.
I’d argue that the term podcasting by itself still suggests audio to many people, even if by a proper definition, it applies to many media types. Considering how few people use the term audio podcasting, I think the distinction is still useful.
Just came across another helpful article, “Information Architecture for Audio: Doing It Right” at http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/information150. Thanks to iLibrarian at http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/ for highlighting this!