Pod People taking over Bella Vista Public Library

NWA Democrat-Gazette/Lynn Atkins Amanda Gibson, adult services librarian, holds up the logo for a new podcast that will debut this month at the Bella Vista Public Library. Gibson and Bailley Kinser, public relations and event coordinator, will host the podcast about the library and books.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/Lynn Atkins Amanda Gibson, adult services librarian, holds up the logo for a new podcast that will debut this month at the Bella Vista Public Library. Gibson and Bailley Kinser, public relations and event coordinator, will host the podcast about the library and books.

Although it turned out to be more complicated than expected, Bella Vista librarians Amanda Gibson and Bailley Kinser are ready to debut their first podcast, "Librarians Unhushed." It should be ready for the public to hear this week.

"You think you just sit there and talk, but you don't," Gibson says about making the podcast.

Each podcast will be about 20 to 30 minutes long, but Kinser will edit a longer conversation to fit the space. She'll take out any rambling that is off topic, she says, and she's also adding music.

The first episode will be an introduction, Gibson says. Listeners will learn about the two hosts and their plan for the show.

The February episode will be about Valentine's Day, and the hosts will discuss what literary characters they might choose to be their own Valentines.

The shows will be loaded onto "Tune In," which Gibson describes as a podcast network. They hope it will also be available on iTunes.

They did some research to discover how to make the podcast and how to upload it for viewing. Bella Vista Public Library Director Suzanne Adams bought them a microphone and they used an existing laptop.

Someday, "Librarians Unhushed" may be a topic at one of the library's newest groups, "Pod People." The group meets on the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. to talk about podcasts.

Gibson has been choosing the podcasts that she believes will stimulate a discussion. For January and February, she chose "Dr. Death," a series of six podcasts about Christopher Duntsch, a neurologist in Dallas, who moved between hospitals after patients died in his care.

"It's very discussable," Gibson says.

The first few meetings of the Pod People will probably include a tutorial on how to find and listen to podcasts, Gibson says.

"A lot of people need help with that," she says.

She listens to a lot of podcasts in the car, she explains, and she likes true crime stories. As the group evolves, it may listen to and discuss many other topics.

Lynn Atkins writes for The Weekly Vista. Email her at [email protected].

NAN Profiles on 01/13/2019

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