Thing 7: Podcasts

Now we’re talking – literally!  I found Thing 7 really rewarding even though I was unable to produce my own podcast owing to a lack of suitable equipment.  I’m all for listening – I have a long commute to work every day, an hour each way, and I always have an audio book on the go to pass the time. I can easily see podcasts as an alternative listening option in the future.

I spent some time trying to find podcasts created by archives to see if and how they utilise this tool.  Not surprisingly, I initially ran to an age-old problem: if you search for podcasts + archives, what you don’t find is podcasts by or about archives; instead, you get archives of podcasts on every conceivable subject under the sun thrown at you!  However after a bit of digging I did manage to find what I was looking for.  The first thing I discovered is that very few archives use podcasts.  Maybe this stems from the general perception that archives are like children – best seen, not heard!

However those repositories that use podcasts do so in a myriad of ways.  The UK National Archives have a number of podcast series, including Writer of the Month in which high-profile authors talk about using original records in their writing.  They also have podcasts introducing listeners to different collections in the archives, for example how to find and use wills and probate records.  In fact, it is hard to categorize these podcasts into distinct groups, they are so varied.  Here are some weird and wonderful topics they cover: the clothing choices of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; identity theft in the 1840s (no, it’s not a typo); and roller skating in Edwardian England (I kid you not).

 

Library and Archives Canada have a very fine series of podcasts on aspects of Canadian history, including one on the immigration of Irish settlers to Quebec in the 1800s.  They also have podcasts on particular types of records, ranging from rare books to sheet music, recordings, film, and comic books.  The great thing about these podcasts is that many of them are linked to a Flickr gallery which allows you to view related images as you are listening to the podcast.  A great idea I think!

For me personally, the potentially most interesting website was Keeping Collections which is maintained by the Metropolitan New York Library Council.  The purpose of this website is to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of New York State’s archival collections, and one of its aspects is a range of podcasts in which archivists discuss their trade, or a particular aspect of their trade.  One I am looking forward to listening to is ‘Archival Manoeuvres: Managing Digitization Projects.’

Have we ever used podcasts in our archives?  No.  Would I be willing to try it out?  You bet!