Podcasting initiatives in American research libraries

Purpose: The paper discovers how many American Research Libraries produce podcasts, on what subjects they are produced and how those podcasts are promoted. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers looked at each American Research Library’s website in December 2009 to determine if the library has a podcasting initiative and if so, what topics were covered. General scanning of the website, site search and Google search were used to discover Podcasts. Facebook and Twitter pages were also explored to determine if social media was used for podcast promotion. Findings: It was found that approximately one third of American Research Libraries have a podcasting initiative, the subjects vary widely and social media are only used occasionally to promote the podcasts. The authors conclude that podcasting is a technology that has not yet reached its zenith and libraries have many avenues left still to explore using this technology. Originality/value: The paper explores the use of podcasts in Libraries, which has not been explored in the literature.