We love podcasting!

(Okay, you probably already knew that. It’s not like we are keeping it a secret or anything.)

CMLE uses podcasts to provide information and training opportunities to our member libraries – as well as to any other library person out there. They are quick, easy to listen to while you drive or wash dishes, you can listen on your own schedule, and (with all due modesty) they are all pretty entertaining as well as being filled with good information!

Today we are going to advocate for this tool of information sharing, and suggest you sign up (or check out our website) and to encourage your colleagues to keep in touch with this information as well.

Podcast Number One:
Linking Our Libraries

This was our original podcast.

We wanted to have an easy way to share information about library skills with our members – a format they could check out any time, to fit their own schedules.

Season One was an opportunity to practice trying out different topics and content, and to start bringing in Guest Hosts. The Hosts were uniformly interesting; our content and sound was….less impressive.

We kept going!

We honed in on some specific skills our members said they needed. Seasons Three and Four (happening now!) focus on leadership skills. Library people can lead from any position – you don’t need to be the boss, or have any specific job title. We show you how to strengthen your own skills, to help you to be more successful for your library!

Each episode has a show notes page, where you can find more information about each episode’s topic. We also share books we are reading in each one, and you can find that information on that same page. (We’re library people; we like books. It’s kind of a big deal.)

This season we are on a new podcast host, so be sure you are subscribed using this RSS feed (just copy it into your favorite podcast app!) http://linkingourlibraries.libsyn.com/rss. Or, you can just go to our website and hit play on each episode.

 

Podcast Number Two:
Reading With Libraries

We heard from a few people that they liked our book discussion feature of Linking Our Libraries.

I was briefly disconsolate. How come these people didn’t say how much they loved the content? The information on making good decisions? Planning? Staffing? Leading???

Then Angie and I shrugged, realized we also really like books, and started a second podcast that focused on books.

Okay, yes. A big reason we started this was to talk about books. We were doing that in the office anyway, and by doing it for work we could bring in other people to talk about books with us.

Reader: We did a podcast.

This one is set up as a book group podcast. The idea is that this is a book group podcast. Everyone listening is part of the fun of chatting about books. We have a new genre each week, and we have themed beverages to go along with each genre.

The focus of our organization is always to help our members with training and advocacy. So we also include a lot of Reader’s Advisory information on each genre. Library people need to be able to talk with patrons about all kinds of books, but it’s impossible to know everything about everything. So we wanted to have a resources people can use when they recommend books – and this is that resource.

Subscribe on any podcast app by typing in Reading With Libraries. Or, just go to our website to stream any episode while you read all the show notes, and browse all the Reader’s Advisory material. (A lot of that never makes it to the show, so the website is the only place to find it!)

This podcast also has a Patreon group, where you can donate to help support the show! Official Office Dog Lady Grey is prominently displayed on the page – you should check it out to admire her. And while we need money to support the podcast operating costs (host sites aren’t doing this for free!), we promise Lady Grey will receive treats as part of the payments from our Patreon supporters. Trust us: she deserves them all!

Season Two just wrapped up; Season three will start in December, so be sure you are subscribed now!

 

Podcast Number Three:
Book Bites

We are starting to build up an audience, and we don’t want to lose track of them.

Plus, you know: we like to talk about books!

So this is what we call a quickie podcast. It’s five minutes long, and drops on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On each episode, someone talks about a book they are reading, or one they enjoy.

Right now, these podcasts are found on our website (click here), or you can subscribe to Reading With Libraries and get them on your phone twice a week.

Just to keep things exciting: when Linking Our Libraries Season Four is over (in December), and we start dropping weekly episodes of Reading With Libraries, then the quickie Book Bites will be found on the LOL feed (as well as our website).

Check it out for some quick book ideas, and hear from all our different Guest Hosts who have books to share with you!

 

Are you podcasting?

Do you listen to other library podcasts??

We want to know about it! Reply in the comments below, or email us at admin @ cmle.org today!