Historical Collection Podcast
During 2008-2009 we produced a series of podcasts (internet “radio/tv”) featuring items from the Historical Society collection and our process of cataloging and conserving Maynard’s historical treasures.
You don’t need an iPod to listen to a podcast! You can listen to them on your computer or portable music device (MP3 player). Don’t want to keep checking here? You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
- Podcast # 10 – “A Brief History of Maynard – 1921 Book” – 13-Feb-2009 – We announce the availability of a key book documenting the history of Maynard.
- Podcast #9 – “1931 Appraisal of American Woolen Company Properties” – 3-Feb-2009 – We discuss a remarkable that looks at a “company town” in the early 1930’s.
- Podcast #8 – “Maynard Stories with Ralph Sheridan – Part 3” – 25-Jan-2009 – The final installment of a 3-part interview with Ralph Sheridan. Part 1 was podcast #5, part 2 was podcast #7.
- Podcast #7 – “Maynard Stories with Ralph Sheridan – Part 2” – 11-Jan-2009 – The second part of a 3-part interview with Ralph Sheridan. Part 1 was Podcast #5.
- Podcast #6 – “Priorities” – 2-Jan-2009 – Dave Griffin discusses how we will be deciding which of the thousands of items in the collection to catalog first. An example using two recently boxes found in the filing cabinets show the challenges ahead. Photos available in the blog.
- Podcast #5 – “Maynard Stories with Ralph Sheridan – Part 1” – 26-Dec-2008 – Ralph Sheridan tells stories about life in Maynard in the early 20th century. The first in a series of stories told by Ralph. Recorded in 1994. Audio only podcast.
- Podcast #4 – “Maynard’s Christmas Parade” – 7-Dec-2008 – Dave Griffin provides a brief history of Maynard’s Annual Christmas Parade – recorded on the evening of the 42nd anniversary of this town tradition. Audio only podcast. Photos available in the blog.
- Podcast #3 – “Genealogical Goldmine” – 29-Nov-2008 – Dave Griffin provides a quick update on the collection cataloging project and talks a bit about three funeral record books that will provide a wealth of information for people researching their family histories. Audio only podcast. Photos available in the blog.
- Podcast #2 – “An Evening with Frank Mark and Roy Helander” – 18-Nov-2008 – This is a recording in our collection of a Historical Society program from November 1988 — yes, 20 years ago. Roy interviews Frank Mark, who immigrated to Maynard from Finland in 1916. At the time Mr. Mark was 85 years old. Roy also reads letters from his uncle, Ed Helander, who was 95 at the time and couldn’t make the meeting due to bad weather. Good news: This is an audio-only podcast and should be playable by just about any computer. Bad new: No pictures.
- Podcast #1 – “Two Drawers” – 12-Nov-2008 – Dave Griffin discusses the challenges facing the collection inventory and preservation process by opening a couple of file cabinet drawers and seeing what’s in there. If you have trouble with the above link for this podcast, please try this instead, the Podcast #1 Audio Only version.
What are podcasts?
A podcast simply refers to a file that is produced on a regular basis that can be listened to or watched using an appropriate media player. Some podcasts are audio-only, some are a combination of audio and pictures, and some are essentially very short television shows.
Don’t I need an iPod to listen to a podcast?
No. You can listen or watch podcasts using your computer. A number of other media devices can also play podcasts such as game consoles, Apple TV, Microsoft’s Zune player, and many others. However, we don’t have the time and resources to make sure our podcasts work on all computers and players. We’ll try our best to make it accessible to the majority of you.
Do I need to download special software to listen or watch a podcast?
Perhaps, but perhaps not. Most new computers come with the software you need already installed. The best thing to do is try clicking on one of our podcasts and see what happens. If it works, great! If not, check back here for possible options.
We recently added software so our audio-only podcasts are playable right inside the blog. Just click on the arrow and it should start playing for you. Try it:
Do I need a fast connection to listen to podcasts?
No, but it doesn’t hurt. Audio podcasts are relatively compact, but video podcasts can get quite large.
Can I subscribe to your podcasts with iTunes?
Yes! We are registered with Apple’s iTunes so you can have podcasts automatically sent to your computer, iPod, or AppleTV. You can search for “Maynard” in iTunes or just click here to subscribe in iTunes.
If there are other services that you would like to us register with, just let us know and we’ll give it a try.
What software do I need to listen on my computer?
We produce our podcasts using Apple Garageband. So if you have Apple’s Quicktime or iTunes installed on your Macintosh or PC you should be good to go (most Mac’s come with both).
Windows Media Player may be able to play the podcasts as well – but perhaps with some restrictions. We’ll update this space as we learn more.