Inside the iPod, outside the classroom

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how librarians at UC Merced developed an iPod Touch Video Library Tour to replace in‐person instruction for freshman library orientations. Design/methodology/approach Librarians developed and marketed the iPod Touch Video Library Tour, collaborated with Writing faculty to promote and measure the effectiveness of instruction, then collected and analyzed student assignment scores and survey assessment data to evaluate the project. Findings Post‐tour assessment data from student assignments suggest that the iPod Touch Video Library Tour is successfully introducing new students to the space, services and resources of the library. Post‐tour comments from students and faculty also indicate that they consider the tour an effective means of being introduced to the library. Practical implications Faced with increasing teaching workloads, instruction librarians can benefit from developing asynchronous instruction objects such as podcasts/vodcasts. Asynchronous teaching allows the time shifting of instruction activities, offers scalability, and optimizes assessment. Students often value the freedom to receive instruction when it is most convenient for them. Originality/value This paper offers practical information that will assist academic libraries in developing and justifying asynchronous instruction alternatives for traditional face‐to‐face library classroom sessions. Assessment data presented supports the effectiveness of asynchronous instruction through podcasting with popular iPod technology.