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(A Note on) Podcasts
A podcast is a digital media file (usually audio) that can besyndicated, or downloaded automatically, from an RSS feed.Podcasts can be downloaded and listened to on a computer, but theyare really intended to be portable. Most folks download podcasts totheir portable MP3 player (like the ubiquitous iPod, though anyMP3 player works) and listen to them on the go. This is part of what makes them so great; people can listen to a podcast at their own convenience. They can also listen to a podcast as they explorethe places described in a podcast.Whereas every podcast is a digital media file, not all digital media files are podcasts. Unless your digitalmedia file is syndicated (which means you add new ones periodically and folks can subscribe to the feedand receive them), it is just a regular old digital media file. To make syndicated files easilydownloadable for people’s iPods, you need to set up an RSS feed and make sure they show up in iTuneswhere folks can easily search for them.At this point the easiest way to share a digital media file so that people can put it on their iPod or other MP3 player is to set up an RSS feed that sends the files (as podcasts) to iTunes. Even if you intend tocreate only a few audio pieces—thematic tours of the community, for instance—we still recommendsyndicating them so they will be searchable in iTunes. Though your RSS feed will not have new audiofiles to send every two weeks (and thus will not technically be a podcast), this is still the best option for making your tours available to the widest public possible.To make a podcast, you will need some combination of the following: an RSS feed (can be incorporatedinto your WordPress account), recording equipment, and audio editing software (such as Garage Band,which comes standard on Macs). None of these are particularly expensive, but they may involve aninitial outlay of between $200--$1000
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, depending on what you have access to already and the quality of the equipment you buy.An excellent overview of the technical questions—how to set up a podcast, what equipment isnecessary, etc.—is available from podcaster extraordinaire Adam Weiss at his websitewww.podcastconsultant.net. If you are located in New England, we also recommend Adam as aconsultant as he started the Boston Museum of Science’s award winning “Current Science &Technology” podcast and produces several under his own name. He can be contacted through hiswebsite or directly via email atadam@podcastconsultant.net.So rather than reinvent the wheel (or risk plagiarizing Adam’s excellent advice) below we simplyexplain some of the most basic questions about what a podcast is and its potential uses for your organization.
What can it do for you?
Whereas a broadcast is live, a podcast is pre-recorded. A podcast can be made from a live broadcast;most NPR programs, for instance, can later be downloaded as podcasts. If you have audio recordings of 
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Adam Weiss, of www.podcastconsultant.net, recommends a start-up suite of equipment that costsapproximately $1,080, including the computer for storing the files and editing the audio.
 
 performances or lectures hosted by your organization, you may consider releasing them via podcast.However, keep in mind that concentration factor! A live hour-long talk may not have the same appeal asa pre-recorded audio-only lecture in podcast form. However, you might consider editing a longer lectureor setting aside time with a featured speaker to ask two or three questions that you can edit into a 10-minute podcast.You can create podcasts about topics related to your organization’s collections, programs, or expertise.Perhaps you want to highlight the story of a seldom-seen object or little known facet of your community’s history. You can share an engaging short story about how something came into your collection, what an object’s historic uses were, an unknown local luminary, or some other tidbit via podcasts.If you are a local history organization, you might consider making podcasts of audio tours of your community that people can listen to as they walk or drive around. You might discuss a theme (such as“Schoolhouses” or “Women’s History”) and provide a map that people can pick up at your site or download from the web. You might focus on the story of one building. If you are an arts organization,you could feature behind-the-scenes discussion with performers, composers, or directors.Think of podcasting as a tool for making your organization more transparent by hosting behind-the-scenes discussion on the process of developing an exhibit or program. How, exactly, does local historyget made? What decisions do the curators make when selecting a topic or objects for display? Whatsources do they consult? What do they not include, and why? You can discuss these details in shortinterview-style podcasts. Sharing this discussion with your public not only promotes your organization,it also invites the public to more critically engage with what you do and why.Or consider podcasting as an educational program. Invite young people to script and produce podcastsabout any of the topics described above or about youth perspectives on local issues. This could be anengaging summer program or an ongoing partnership with local schools. Young people may be quick tolearn about and become experts on the technology involved – the skills involved will be useful to them,in any case.Most podcasts are not much longer than 20 minutes. Folks may have difficulty maintaining their concentration for an extended “audio lecture.” We recommend you keep your podcasts at 6—15minutes each. Keep in mind that for every minute of the finished program, there is preparation and post- production time. An experienced podcaster himself, Adam says that a 10-minute interview-style podcasttakes about 2—4 hours of time to produce.
 How do users interact with it?
Users download podcasts to their computers or portable MP3 players, easily through the iTunes store,even though most podcasts (and probably yours) are free. For the listeners, there’s not a lot to it. Youcan direct users to your podcasts from your main webpage. If you have created tours of your site or thelocal community, you may want to include information about available podcasts on your organization’s“Hours and Admissions” page so that folks who are planning a trip can learn about these downloads before they come. You can also post notices of new podcasts as they are uploaded on the blog section of your website.Users may choose to download audio tours of your site or community before coming as a way toenhance their visit. They may listen to informational podcasts, such as interviews with the curator or 
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