My Antonia: Chatcast includes notes. Wiki eventually?

David H. Rothman writes “For some months, the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center has been experimenting with audio chatcasts on books.

David H. Rothman writes “For some months, the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center has been experimenting with audio chatcasts on books.

Along the way, you’ll appreciate the careful thought that Tom, a veteran academic librarian who was dean of libraries at Western Illinois University, devoted to his preparation for the program. Perhaps other public, academic and special librarians can systematically build on his Antonia notes. Open-source reading notes? The start of wikis, perhaps–with more content and refinements to come from other librarians?

In fact, consider another wrinkle. Librarians possibly could originate book-oriented wikis and let patrons–either everyone or those with a demonstrated interest in the books–work with them on improvements. A new kind of book club? Perhaps combined with audio chatcasts for the writer-editors and the public at large? Here’s to the gods of interactivity! And the cause of engaging patrons and strenthening their ties with libraries! Needless to say, official versions of the wikis, fact-checked and edited by librarians, perhaps even with names and qualifications listed, could exist alongside the ever-evolving ones. Hmm. Maybe librarians could work on this concept with K-12 folks and help lit classes and others create their own wikis, which in turn could be fodder for library wikis. Moreover, collaborations could exist between public and academic librarians to create extra-authoritative wikis that were accessible to ordinary patrons and included grassroots insights but took advantage of the academics’ specialization.

Meanwhile, for more on Tom’s chatcast scheduled for Tuesday night, see details in David Faucheux’s Blind Chance Blog. You’ll find easy log-on instructions in an article we’re reproducing from a local Nebraska paper, the Hastings Tribune, which ran the news story over the weekend. Tonight’s program even includes graduate-student experts on Willa Cather from the University of Nebraka-Lincoln, which the novelist attended.

While Tom’s “Meting of the Minds” chatcasts (“Meting” as in to “mete out”) are primarily for the blind and other print-challenged people, everyone is welcome to log on.”