Podcasts

This week I thought the Pierce County Library System's Postcast Blog was impressive (in an accessible, not too high-tech kind of way):
"Welcome to the Pierce County Library Podcast Blog. Here you’ll find a wide and ever-expanding range of both information and entertainment, including helpful parenting tips, regular book reviews, “Storytime for Grown-Ups” sessions, interviews with interesting people, and hints on accessing new library services and materials." Immediately I thought why doesn't our library do this? (I've done a lot of that since I started nswplLearning 2.0). But then I hit my usual stumbling block of 'why'? In this case, 'why' would anyone have so little else to do, that they'd check out podcasts on their library's website? It must be the long, cold winters in the USA that generates so much computer use, or is American TV still that bad?

Seriously, though, I can see the value of downloading a podcast of a favourite radio program that I've missed, with the added advantage of listening via MP3 while commuting! I notice that currently it's mostly public broadcasters that offer free programs via podcasts, no doubt podcasts with adverts will catch up soon.

In the meantime, I'll 'suggest' to our marketing team to get on with podcasting our author talks...