From the Regional Library of Murcia we have always pursued the idea that our cultural tentacles are reproduced and reach the most remote places and minds. Proof of this is our active presence in various current social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), our many projects to test those disciplines that a priori would move away from a classic idea of library (escape rooms, performances, beauty salons, development of own fanzine …), and for some time the initiative to colonize the world of sound waves.
With this idea was born in February 2021 the space “The library from your sofa”, within the program El Mirador of Onda Regional. A weekly space where librarians from our center made cultural recommendations that, after the broadcast of the program, were saved on the network to share later through our various channels and that was the seed of our foray into the world of podcasting. After a year, we opened the recommendations to librarians from the entire network of public libraries, giving voice to colleagues not only from the rest of the municipality but throughout the region, this project is still ongoing today, issuing a new audio every Thursday.
On the other hand, thanks to the cultural programming of our center, every year an endless number of figures from the most diverse fields of culture pass through the Library. From content creators to top-level sportsmen and women, as well as critics, journalists, illustrators, scientists, writers, poets, philosophers, actors, directors, doctors…
We always try (sometimes it does not depend solely on our resources) that each of these meetings is immortalized either in audiovisual or audio format, to make it available to all those users of the Regional Library who want to access it for the first time or revisit it as many times as they wish.
Until June 2023, YouTube was the main platform we used for this purpose, ideal in the event that the talk had been recorded in audiovisual format, but somewhat more limited when it was only in audio format, with static images of the event accompanying the audio. We realized statistically that, for YouTube users, this carousel format of static images was not very appealing, and also, for podcast consumers, this was not a platform that facilitated audio listening with the device locked, or downloads to enjoy the content in places without data access (all these functions are paid on YouTube). We had to do something, and we ourselves, as regular consumers of podcasts, realized that it was a sector that was going through one of its best moments and that we had neglected, when we also had at our fingertips an unbeatable material.
Then began a process of specific treatment of the audios we had, cleaning, cutting and generally improving their quality as much as possible. BRMU Pódcast was born at that moment, through the free Ivoox platform, creating the image of the channel, the covers of the different cycles that will be part of it and uploading a large number of episodes that would allow us to create the germ of a large community to attract and build loyalty.
Our episodes are structured according to the type of content they deal with, maintaining an aesthetic on the covers that visually identifies (and numbers) each installment. We have the sections Comics Committee, The BRMU canon, Cinema as a literary genre, Bibliosport, Bibliosophy, 10 minutes BRMU or BRMU Potpourri, which although all are uploaded to the general channel are easily identifiable and we also have playlists, where the user can see the talks of each cycle independently.
From the BRMU we do a constant statistical monitoring of all our networks to analyze the feedback we receive, always looking for lines of improvement and breadth of scope, and from the first moment we could see the great reception of the project, which soon came to occupy the top positions in the ranking of Ivoox in the category of “Science and Culture”. It is therefore a project that is taking its first steps but in which we are pouring all our enthusiasm and we intend that, thanks to the high quality of our content, we can consolidate as one of the reference podcasts in the world of culture and popularization.
From now on our commitment is to upload new content to the platform on a weekly basis, not only from the cultural activities that will be carried out in our regular programming, but also from all those that we are rescuing from the immense archive we have and where we assure you that you will find true cultural treasures.
We encourage you to follow us and subscribe to the channel to receive alerts every time we have new material. You have a whole world of sound to discover with episodes and protagonists for all tastes.
Text by Alejandro Paredero Pérez
Photos by Comicteca BRMU
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