Contact library staff in the first instance. They will point you to relevant guides or find an IT Librarian who will give you help and advice.
Unless you are planning complicated projects or need to showcase a video with complex editing or graphics, you don’t really need much equipment, just a laptop or phone.
Nowadays, our laptops/PCs all tend to come with what we need: build-in camera, microphone and audio playback so even working from home, the quality will be good. All you need to do is make sure your programs/apps have access to the camera and mic.
Access to the camera and microphone from laptops should be ready by default however before you begin, check privacy settings just in case they have been switched off.
It should not be necessary to purchase additional hardware such as a video camera, but it might be worthwhile investing in a microphone for better quality sound recording. If using a mobile phone or tablet, you might like to invest in tripod with phone adapter.
Podcasts can be created from your mobile phone or tablet (think Instagram stories or IGTV videos) with additional apps installed to ensure more professionally produced outputs.
Any required software will depend on what you want to produce. For most podcasts you should only need one or two apps or programs.
Most operating systems come with built-in recording and video editing software. Good results can be achieved so if you are comfortable using what comes with your laptop, PC, phone or tablet keep using it.
Mobile Phones and TabletsA variety of apps are available from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, dependent on device. However beware that most will be linked to an online account and it may be difficult to transfer to another host or platform.
This is a list of some basic essentials either included with operating systems or available for download. This list is not exhaustive. Additional apps are available from the App Store, Microsoft Store and Google Play.
The following is also available under academic licensing via the Office 365 subscription
Most premium software will have a try before you buy period, usually 30 days.
Most Universities will have some kind of hosting, whether internal, or via a third-party (eg. YouTube). Check out what is available to use and whether your content will need to be approved before it can go live on their platform.
For independently produced podcasts, a host platform is a requirement. Most platforms will offer free hosting but with limited options, for example a three month limit for each podcast series, limited storage for each podcast or no access to analytics. So remember to check out the small print before signing up and be prepared to pay a small fee for more options.
Podcast hosting platforms include,
Once uploaded to a platform, a podcast can then be submitted to Google and Apple for inclusion in Google Play or iTunes respectively via the appropriate RSS feed or XML file (these are available to generate via your chosen podcast platform, but check as this facility may require a subscription or upgrade).