Durham, NC - Duke Chapel concert recordings. Coach K's thoughts on effective team building. "Duke Reads" book club discussions.

With hundreds of lectures and events across campus each week, Duke's iTunes U offers one resource for staff, faculty and students to keep up -- and keep learning.

Duke's iTunes U contains more than 1,800 audio and 1,400 video tracks, including speeches, performances, news, research updates and student-produced movies, all downloadable for free. And departments across the University are adding new content all the time.

The Pratt School of Engineering, for example, uses iTunes U to distribute weekly engineering and technology management seminars with tips on launching a new product and career advice, featuring speakers from companies such as Proctor & Gamble.

The iTunes U site offers a way to leverage the university's intellectual resources, while engaging alumni, prospective students and the wider community, said Jeff Glass, Pratt's senior associate dean for education.

"In today's work environment, the key is continuing to learn," Glass said. "If you stop learning when you graduate, your education starts to become obsolete the day after you graduate. Duke's iTunes U provides an opportunity for our alumni and friends to continue their education in a flexible format."

Popular downloads include Washington, D.C., chancellor Michelle Rhee's talk about education reform at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy; Duke basketball videos from DukeBluePlanet.com; and Duke faculty panel discussions about the global financial crisis.

In addition to Duke content, iTunes U also includes material from more than 70 other colleges and other universities, including Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Yale.

Materials from Duke on iTunes U have been downloaded or accessed online more than 1 million times since the site was launched May 30, 2007.

Audio and video files downloaded from the site can be played on a computer or transferred to an iPod or other compatible digital player, so users can listen to a lecture or the latest research findings while working out or commuting.

Courses, departments and student groups may also create and share podcasts and video files on iTunesU.

"iTunes U is an easy-to-use, effective way to share media content with members of the Duke community, on campus and around the world," said Samantha Earp, director of academic services for Duke's Office of Information Technology.

In the coming year, OIT will explore new delivery mechanisms for media content, including mobile devices such as the iPhone and BlackBerry.