Podcasting helps easily bring information to you

Want to be on the cutting edge of technology? Get into podcasting!

Podcasting is like a radio show, except you listen to it whenever you want to on your computer, iPod, MP3 player and even some telephones. You can subscribe to a podcast feed and your computer will automatically download new episodes whenever they're added.

When you sync your iPod with your computer, new episodes will transfer over. You can listen whenever or wherever you like.

For example, I have a podcast series called "Longshots" (www.sarahlong.org/podcast/).

I interview people related to the library world. You can go to my site and listen to the latest episode right from your browser, or you can add the feed to the podcast-receiving software of your choice.

iTunes is probably the most popular of these and my site provides an icon that allows you to subscribe through iTunes quickly and easily. I usually record a new episode once a week. iTunes will automatically check for and fetch the new episodes. Listen at your leisure.

Besides ordinary folks like me putting up podcasts, mainstream media has embraced podcasting. National Public Radio, the BBC, The New York Times, ESPN and others have extensive podcasting content on their Web sites. For example, ABC has a podcast focusing on its hit series "Lost."

Podcast use is exploding, according to a new Arbitron-Edison Media Research study, which found that the audience for podcasts has grown 40 percent in the last year. An estimated 23 million, or 9 percent, of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month.

Librarian and author Linda Braun is a podcast enthusiast.

"I am addicted to podcasts," she admitted, noting that she subscribes to 28 podcasts. "I would rather listen than read, and listening on my iPod works with my lifestyle that includes a lot of traveling."

Braun's new book, "Listen Up! Podcasting for Schools and Libraries," marries her enthusiasm for podcasting with her long-time interest in children and teens in libraries.

"Podcasting is a great medium for giving kids an incredible creative opportunity. It's technology that's easy to access and use and it puts kids in the driver's seat for learning."

Braun's book is a simple guide guaranteed to quickly educate the reader on podcasting. She covers both content and technical issues and shares fundamental tips for finding and using podcasts.

There are examples of innovative school and library projects, such as the podcast created by seventh-graders at Longfellow Middle School in LaCrosse, Wis., called "The Coulee Kids."

In one episode, the students describe their fears on the first day of school. Put "Coulee Kids" into your browser for more information.

Similarly, the Cheshire Public Library in Cheshire, Conn., offers a podcast at www.cheshirelibrary.org/teens/cplpodcast.htm, which is a teen-driven cultural magazine featuring teen contributors. I liked episode 17, which features teens' favorite books.

"Podcasting is a way to build community," Braun said. "By working together, kids or adults not only share an experience among them, but also put their ideas out for the world to hear and react to.

"The community that's created can be temporary, serve a specific function or die a natural death when a function is over. It's OK if things don't last forever because interests change or services fall in and out of favor. It doesn't mean the service or community has failed."

The revolutionary aspect of podcasting is the fact that it's a technology that ordinary folks can easily master. Have a look at Podcast Alley (www.podcastalley.com) for podcasts devoted to almost every subject you can imagine.

Visit www.sarahlong.org/podcast/ to hear my podcast with Linda Braun.