iPod, therefore I am!

Although I don't actually have an iPod (or any other portable listening device for that matter) I have been getting into podcasts for quite a while now. I just usually download them onto my PC and then play them from that. I've mostly used music podcasts which are from overseas radio stations or just put together by music fanatics like myself using their own PCs at home. It's amazing just how much good quality stuff there is out there. Never again do my listening needs have to be limited by Sydney's mind numbingly dire radio programming (FBI & 2SER excepted) - I can just grab one of the thousands of specialist music podcasts out there and groove away!

I would love to be able to use this technology at my workplace - it's inspiring that there are so many libraries already out there doing it. I can think of quite a few things that we could look at podcasting:

• Preschool storytimes
• Author Talks
• Music performances from our cultural celebrations
• Library info - overview of services/facilities, how to join, etc.
  
• Book reviews by staff and library users
• Book discussion groups
• Highlights from our Book Week performances
  

Most of these things we are already doing, so it would just be a case of getting the technical know-how together, jumping a few red-tape hurdles and then of course finding the time!

I have used the Yahoo podcast search, but usually tend to use good old Google to find what I'm looking for by doing a keyword search (eg: "podcast" & "dub", or "podcast" and "folk", etc.). I've also found some good things using Podcast.com. There's just so much out there - that it's hard to be selective sometimes.

Here are some cool music podcasts:

Groove Therapy - funk, hiphop & disco show from 2SER FM

Sacred Dub - contemporary dub & ambient music

Electronic Explorations - dubstep, minimal, glitch, IDM, techno & advanced electronica

Druidcast - pagan folk music & interviews