Online Programming for Libraries (OPAL) is presenting a free online program titled The Poetry of U.S. Presidents on April 12, 2005. Check their schedule, Events and Programs, for times and other upcoming programs.

Be sure to check OPAL Podcast for past programs. A sampling of past programs available are Introduction to digital audiobooks and Tumblebooks, Roundtable discussion of digital audiobooks in libraries, Getting the most from your PDA, and Introduction to Google searching.

In one OPAL Podcast, Introduction to Blogs by David Faucheux, the speaker, a blind librarian in Louisana, “shares tips for blogging.” It was interesting to learn how he accesses weblogging technology. He audio blogs through the telephone to his audio blog called Blind Chance (http://www.teleread.org/blind). One person asked a question about how Faucheux prepares to present an audio blog—is it off-the-cuff or scripted? He often scripts these in his mind, and on many occassions he has had to do the audio blog “over and over again,” until it is the way he wants it. He does not put something up every day, as he is striving for quality, rather than quantity. He limits his audio blog entries to five minutes. The first part of the OPAL Windows Media Player clip is a little hard to hear (I am hearing impaired, so maybe it is okay with normal hearing people), but the volume is okay about ten minutes into it.