Podcasts and Videocasts management: A case study of Special Library of International Instititute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) in Iran

Special libraries and information centers in the age of information technology try to produce, collect and submit special knowledge for their users. Hence, they are considered as pioneer as well as developing organizations which make use of new information technologies to provide their users with more special and better information services. Two of the most common and newest consequences of Web 2.0 used for publishing online information are podcasting and screencasting. Most of librarians suppose that podcasts serve as information services in the Web 2.0 collection. However, this article aims to introduce the role that podcasts play in identification of special libraries services, discuss their role as new electronic information resources, and deal with features and advantages of podcasting in special libraries and information centers. Current research, as a case study, suggests that special library of International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) can select and collect podcasts that are about Earth Science, Earthquake Engineering and Seismology for students and researchers. Due to applications and capabilities podcasts offer, a website for special library of IIEES can be designed so that users of the library can freely access podcasts and videocasts related to they major. Podcasts and videocasts can be categorized for users of this library, so they can click on their needed files and download their needed audio & visual files or save them in their cellphone, Ipod, note book, mp3 player and so on. Also downloaded podcasts and videocasts would be useful for e-learning. On the other hand, Because IIEES is an international institute, by this services, foreign students can easily use information resources such as audio & visual files of speeches, conferences, thesis defense meetings and so on. Finally, this research suggests to the other special libraries in Iran that they can use podcasting and videocasting services to provide their information services better and faster for their users