You Can Podcast, Too!

This past fall, my coworker asked me about partnering with him to start a podcast for the Mercer County Library System.  Years ago, I had been part of a monthly podcast with a couple of my colleagues from one of my former places of work. We had all moved on to different jobs, and we wanted to stay involved with instructional librarianship, as well as in touch with each other.   So, when I was approached to do another podcast, I was a little hesitant for fear that I wouldn't remember how to put all the pieces together.  I found, however, it was just like riding a bike..and it's actually gotten easier with the availability of new resources!

There's really a very small list of things you need, and it's likely you may have most of them already: 1) a device (e.g., computer, tablet, or smartphone); 2) a connection to the Internet; 3) software to record/capture audio (e.g., GarageBand, Voice Recorder, etc.); 4) a microphone; and 5) a website to host your podcast.  I'll use MCLS' podcast, Behind the Books as an example, but it's just that -- an example.  The tools we use to make our podcast don't have to be the tools you use for yours. My hope is that using Behind the Books as an example, you can gain some insight to the process for your own benefit. There are many resources, which I'll be sharing, available in MCLS' collection for you to check out to further discover more tools, tips, and best practices for podcasting.

For Behind the Books, before we dove into the technology, we figured out the purpose and the outline for our podcast. We developed a proposed layout, helping us streamline the planning process for each episode.  Along with giving our patrons an opportunity to "meet" a different staff member, as well as an author in each episode, we wanted to offer patrons another way to hear what's happening at the Mercer County Library System.  Our format became simple: 1) an opening; 2) an interview with a staff member, 3) a run down of upcoming programs/service updates; 4) an interview with an author; and 5) a wrap up and closing.  Our goal was to keep each episode under a half hour with a new episode airing every other week.

Once we had our outline in place, we moved on to testing the technology!  It turns out video conferencing software worked perfectly for us to record our interviews and our co-host conversations.  We use GoToMeeting, but similar applications also work (e.g., the free offerings from Zoom and Skype).  GoToMeeting gives us the ability to "call up" and record a conversation with an author in California or a colleague at a branch across the county. Even though we don't have to have the video, we still capture the audio, which is what we need!

Depending on what you include in your podcast, it's likely you'll need a tool to edit the different recordings. For Behind the Books, I use Audacity, which is a free audio editor (as well as a recorder for my solo parts).  Audacity allows me to collect and piece together all the separate interview tracks to make one audio file.  For the Mac owners out there, GarageBand, an audio recorder and editor, is already loaded on to your machine. You can add music to enhance your overall product when editing the recordings.  Since we didn't want to create our own music, nor did we want to pay for the rights of someone else's music, we looked for Creative Commons music to use.  There are a variety of Creative Commons licenses, but most allow a piece of music to be used for free and without permission -- as long as the creator is properly given credit. Free Music Archive is a great resource in finding music under Creative Commons licenses.

At some point, you'll want to think about your cover art. It's almost like an album cover for your podcast.  This is the picture listeners will see associated with your podcast in their podcast directory.  We were very lucky to have the creativity of MCLS' Social Media and Marketing Librarian; she whipped up the cover art for Behind the Books.  Similar to creative commons licensing in music, you can find creative commons licensing in images, too!  For example, you can use creative commons, as well as stock, images that are available in applications like Canva to create your cover art.

Finally, we needed MCLS' Information Technology Department's input as far as identifying a podcast hosting platform.  There are a lot of free ones out there, Buzzsprout, PodBean, and the one decided best for our purposes, Anchor.  One of the nice perks about using a podcast hosting platform is that it's easy to push out your podcast to podcast directories, such as Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, etc. Additionally, MCLS' Webmaster is able to integrate the Behind the Books episodes right into MCLS' website, allowing our patrons to easily find the most recent episode. (I should note here that some podcasting hosting platforms like Anchor, Buzzsprout, etc. allow you to record (even edit), and publish all from their application.)

There you have it -- from soup to nuts -- the creation of a podcast!  There can be a learning curve with some of the software/applications, but for the most part, it's not difficult.  As a matter of fact, one of the books in our collection, Recording Podcasts by Kristin Fontichiaro, is a "learn-how-to-podcast" book targeted for children in first through fourth grade!  MCLS has quite a few materials available either in print or through our digital collection that you can use to refer to when you're creating your own podcast.  Who knows?  What you have to say may be just what the world is waiting for!

Resources from MCLS' Collection:

Voice Overs for Podcasting by Elaine A. Clark

 "Voice Overs for Podcasting is exactly what podcasters of all levels need : an essential handbook to create, build, improve, and connect with audiences around the globe. Written by veteran voice over coach and author, Elaine A. Clark, this book delivers the nuts and bolts of podcasting and elevates it to a new creative level where the voice is the star and the listener is the happy recipient. Clark shows the reader how, in addition to developing knowledge and expertise on their topic, a podcaster's emotion, storytelling, content, voice, and performance techniques can hugely impact listeners and reviews. This must-read guide offers a fresh approach for podcasters to perform and deliver the most engaging story that audiences will want to hear, turning a small fan base into millions of subscribers"-- Provided by publisher.

Start Podcasting by Jose De La Roca

Jose has more than 17 years of radio broadcasting experience and now he shares with you all the secrets he knows about podcasting. You will learn how to start a podcast, about home studios, how to market your podcast and so much more.

So You Want to Start a Podcast by Kirsten Meinzer

With this motivational how-to guide, the only one on the subject available, listeners find the direction needed to produce an entertaining and informative podcast and promote it to the right audience.

Podcasting for Dummies by Tee Morris and Chuck Tomasi

Written by two podcasting veterans, this book gives you everything you need to launch a podcast. Get the insider info on how to produce quality audio (and even video), keep your content fresh, find your voice, and build an audience.

Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Storytelling by Eric Nuzum

Podcasting is the fastest-growing media platform in the world, with currently 650,000 podcasts out there, in 100 languages, and offering over 20 million episodes. And we're only at the beginning. More and more podcasts appear every day, and more and more entrepreneurs, businesses, individuals, and distributors, like Spotify, are getting into this world. One person so many people turn to to help launch their podcasts is Eric Nuzum, a veteran of NPR and Audible who's had a hand in creating and launching over 130 podcasts, including some of the most successful out there like TED Radio Hour, Invisibilia, Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel, The Butterfly Effect, and West Cork. And the reason is that Nuzum understands the essentials of what makes a podcast work, and knows how to help creators shepherd their vision from rough idea to finished product.

- by Anna, Hopewell Branch