E-books will displace paper books eventually, creating an inevitable question for local libraries. “What’s our mission?” Books are just one kind of library holding, of course. Still, what if people find they can get e-books from a number of sources? How can libraries enjoy an edge? One great way is to originate interesting, localized content.
Sam Clay, director of the Fairfax County Public Library in Northern Virginia, among my favorite systems, may or may not agree with all of the above. But he’s already on to something to help address the “What?” issue—his podcasts of interviews with local authors. From Connection Newspapers:
Listeners can check out the recordings on their portable mp3 players, such as iPods, or on their computer.
“We’re trying to offer interviews with people who write lots of different types of books that people might be interested in,” said Lois Kirkpatrick, the library system’s spokeswoman.
So far, the BookCast series has featured interviews with authors who write romance, mysteries and children’s books. Each of the authors’ work can be found in at Fairfax County library branches. New podcast interviews are posted twice a month…
By offering podcasts Fairfax County has joined a small but growing number of public library systems that are experimenting with downloadable podcasts.
In Roanoke, Va., the public library system offers podcast readings of public domain fairy tales, such as “The Princess and the Pea” and “Beauty and the Beast.” These can be downloaded from www.roanokeva.gov/podcasts.
The Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, N.C., public library system offers podcast interviews with local authors and programming for teenage listeners. The can be found at www.libraryloft.org/podcasts.asp.
