My number 2 bus takes an hour to creak its weary way into Cambridge every morning, so podcasts are a lifesaver for me. And they provide some surreal moments: the soothing tones of Donald Macleod's Composer of the week (BBC radio podcast) just about audible over the CRC kids' staccato conversation. But for work? I watched the library podcasts but I have to say I wasn't convinced of their value. Yes, they impart information. They were much better than anything I could produce myself. But the creators seemed to simply see them as a different way of imparting the same information as a leaflet. Not a single library video achieved any sense of the taste of discovery, they simply documented the process. So watching these videos was like reading a recipe without ever getting to eat dinner. Finding a book on the shelf and using a self-issue unit - is that really what libraries are about? When you think about your younger self enjoying libraries, don't tell me that the day you cracked the secret of self issue was one of the highlights. The highlights are the days you see a picture, grasp an idea, join a conversation. Where is the excitement, the sense of being let loose in a world of ideas, of being part of a process of discovery? This seems to be something that video could do better than a leaflet - think of the film Educating Rita, which makes you feel the experience of learning new things. Yesterday I wrote in a blog comment that people respond best to blogs showing genuine feeling rather than facts. The same must apply to video: there must be a sign that it was created by a person with a beating heart. Not convinced? Watch this West Wing video to the end! Only 4 minutes.
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