VINE

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the application of podcast in academic and public libraries, focusing on its purposes and characteristic features. It seeks to measure the degree of adoption of podcast in different types of libraries across the continents.

Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis method was used for data collection. Convenience sampling method was followed to select four samples of population, one from each of the four continents. Data were collected along the checkpoints developed by Nguyen and Tripathi and Kumar, and subsequently modified by the researcher. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze data.

Findings – The analysis revealed that library podcasts have some basic features and are implemented for specific purposes. It also revealed that adoption of podcast varies along the geographical regions. The study found that extension of implementation of podcast is high in North American libraries whereas intension of adoption of podcast is high in Australian libraries. However, the reason of disproportionate use of library podcast may be attributed to the differential internet penetration rate along the regions. The paper also identifies areas where podcast is being effectively used by libraries across the world.

Research limitations/implications – The present study was limited to North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and the survey was completely internet-based, conducted on web sites available in English only. A combination of questionnaire and interview method may enable future researchers to measure the impact of podcast on users' and librarians' attitude and perception, which in turn, will determine the extent to which podcast is capable of motivating and engaging users to harness library facilities.

Originality/value – Based on the research findings, the scope of the present study may potentially be expanded with the inclusion of different dimensions to gain a comprehensive understanding on the practicability and usefulness of podcast in different libraries belonging to diverse socio economical levels. The findings will also guide future librarians and web developers alike in designing library web pages so that traditional library services could be provided in an innovative way to meet the expectations and information needs of the users.