Circulating Ideas - SoundSage

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Steve chats with Alma Katsu, author of the new book Incarnate, about her CIA background into early social media research, AI’s threat to creativity and authenticity, the story’s parallels with Picture of Dorian Gray, and the diversity of voices in the current golden age of the horror genre. Then over on the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians Yaika and Kaitlin suggest readlikes for Incarnate!

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From beloved horror maven Alma Katsu comes a terrifying reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray for the internet age.

Beauty doesn’t fade. It feeds.

Dorothy Wagner has spent her whole life wanting nothing more than to be seen. But after failing to make her mark (any mark, really) as an influencer, she takes a job at a company focused on cutting-edge deepfake technology. And there, in secret, is where she creates her salvation.

Isabella. An impossibly gorgeous girl who takes social media by storm. Dorothy’s code is brilliant, and Isabella seems real. So real that she garners millions of followers. Brands beg to partner with her. Everyone wants to meet her IRL. The adoration—and the cash—flows in. Dorothy is finally happy. She’s getting all the attention she ever wanted—isn’t she?

Then the cracks begin to show. Dorothy can barely stay ahead of the partnership requests, and love letters and the rabid fans filling her DMs trying to track Isabella down. All this time working in secret with all this pressure is getting to Dorothy—she can’t tell where she ends, and her creation begins. And when someone gets a little too close to her secret, a violent confrontation sends Dorothy on the run, forcing her to confront what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her secrets.

A modern reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is an illuminating, haunting tale of algorithmic worship and beauty that can kill.

SHOW NOTES:

Incarnate by Alma Katsu
Circulating Ideas 291: Fiend by Alma Katsu (2025)

If you’re looking for your next great read, check your library’s website for NoveList Plus or go to https://about.ebsco.com/novelist/find-my-organization. With NoveList Plus, you’ll find human-curated reading recommendations based on your preferences and mood. And we’ll tell you why a book is being recommended, so you can quickly discover the perfect match.

Libraries have trusted NoveList for more than 30 years. Our book experts evaluate and write recommendations for titles, authors, and series, as well as audiobooks. Interested in seeing if NoveList Plus is right for your library? Go to https://about.ebsco.com/novelist/demos.

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle

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Steve chats with Araminta Hall, author of Unreliable Narrator, about the literary concept of an “unreliable narrator,” what it means for writers to be “burglars of life,” how teaching writing changes her own writing, what it was like to have a previous novel adapted by Apple TV, and who gets to tell your story. Then over at the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians Savannah and Clay suggest readalikes for Unreliable Narrator!

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It’s his story. But it’s her life.

When twenty-three-year-old Hope Jenkins arrives at the isolated, otherworldly Shadowlands estate, she’s certain her life is finally about to begin.

Hope is eager to spend her summer assisting the up-and-coming literary star Ambrose “Rosie” Glencourt, but at Shadowlands, art and danger blur into one. Rosie and his enigmatic wife, Delia, preside over a circle of glittering guests with morals as questionable as their wealth. Hope is transfixed—by their beauty, their brilliance, and by Tom, the elusive young man who resides on the sprawling property and has captured Hope’s heart for the very first time. Hope quickly realizes she’s willing to do anything to secure her place among them—even if it ends in fatal disaster.

Ten years later, Hope lives in self-imposed exile. She has no family, no friends, and no future . . .until she opens Rosie’s runaway bestseller and discovers it’s an almost exact retelling of her story: the work, the sex, and the gunshot that ended it all. It is everything Hope swore to keep hidden, dragged out onto center stage. But this time, Hope isn’t going to stay quiet.

Riveting, compulsively readable, and surprisingly tender, Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall explores revenge, obsession, and the dangerous stories we tell to survive.

SHOW NOTES:

Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
Finders Keepers by Natalie Berelli
A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch

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Steve chats with Kerri Maher, author of Summer of Love, about why this novel is her most personal, intergenerational trauma, researching California’s wine history, her writing process, and her friendship / collaboration with her audiobook narrator. Then NoveList librarians Monica and Dawn suggest readalikes for Summer of Love from The Circ Desk!

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It’s the summer of 1967 and the counterculture revolution is in full swing in San Francisco. Every street is alive with the music of Jim Morrison and Dionne Warwick, and in view of the Golden Gate bridge young people come together, waving anti-war signs and shouting for equal rights. No one is more into the messages of love and peace than Winnie Hartley who has just graduated from UC Berkeley determined to use poetry to capture the ever-shifting world around her. When she reconnects with her high school boyfriend, an aspiring musician, their creative bond further fuels her work, and it feels like her life is finally taking off.

Meanwhile, miles up the winding coast, her sister Miranda stays close to home, throwing herself into running the family business, Hartley Vineyard. She’s determined to make California wine that rivals French. But change is in the air this wild and heady summer, and each sister will make choices that set their lives hurdling down paths neither would have imagined.

Fifty years later, Dawn Hartley stays as far as possible from her family’s famous vineyard, until a work assignment requires her to research the bestselling Vineland novels penned by a famously anonymous author. Determined to discover the identity of this mysterious writer—who seems to know things no one should about her family—Dawn embarks on a soul-searching journey along the windswept coast of California to uncover her family’s secrets even as she’s keeping a big one of her own.

SHOW NOTES:

Summer of Love by Kerri Maher
Circulating Ideas 249: All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher (2023)

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz
Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson
California Golden by Melanie Benjamin
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LeCour

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Steve chats with Laura Sims, author of The Man, about her path from poet to librarian to novelist, using the real-life photographer Vivian Maier as inspiration, themes of fear and artistic rebellion, and a teaser about her next interstellar book! Then NoveList librarians Jamie and Suzanne suggest readalikes for The Man at The Circ Desk!

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From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You, a New York Times Best Thriller of the Year: a singular take on the psychological suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits.

The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she’s unprepared to hear his astonished praise. “Stunning,” he calls her photos. “Extraordinary.” She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.

Still, emboldened by Paul’s encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighborhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he’s an attacker from her past. She doesn’t know why he has returned, but she’s sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can’t; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith’s story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.

Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man is a phenomenal and timely novel exploring the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom, and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind. The Man marks Laura Sims as an extraordinary talent at the top of her game; and this, her third novel, is her greatest achievement yet.

SHOW NOTES:

The Man by Laura Sims
How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

I Make My Own Fun by Hannah Beer
Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg
Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman
One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

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Steve chats with Zach Weinersmith, creator of the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and author of the new book, Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home, about how his background shapes his work, the difficulties of crafting an Edwardian farce for eight year olds, how his daughter’s input affected the book, and how to motivate a character whose main trait is that he has no motivation. Then over at the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians Brierley and Suzanne provide some great readalikes for Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home!

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From New York Times-bestselling and *Hugo Award-winning author Zach Weinersmith comes a cartoon-illustrated middle grade novel starring a ferociously inactive kid who is dragged against his will into the madcap adventures of his friends and family.*

Eleven-year-old Sawyer Lee descends from an endless lineage of absolute go-getters: astronauts, scientists, champion athletes, spies, and other assorted people of action. To this heritage, he says “thanks, but no.” His life’s goal, if we must use that word, is to spend his days on his best friend Gary’s couch, with roughly the ambition of a barnacle with the flu.

The problem is that Sawyer lives in the town of Ovelaville, where everybody (including his aunt Celia and other best friend Angela) is obsessed with doing whatever it takes to win the grand prize at the annual gourd festival, celebrating nature’s dullest vegetable. As their schemes for total gourd domination grow, Sawyer is, to his horror, caught up in both an adventure and a mystery. And he knows it will take a regrettable amount of energy either to get to the bottom of things or convince everyone to give up on it, and find the way back to his happy place on Gary’s couch, with a cozy throw blanket, a steaming mug of chamomile tea, and an empty schedule.

In this tale of friendship, love, betrayal, madness, and gardening enthusiasm, acclaimed cartoonist Zach Weinersmith introduces a hero who, as a general matter, would rather not. In that spirit, he has reduced the total number of words by providing over a hundred hilarious cartoons.

SHOW NOTES:

Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home by Zach Weinersmith

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
The Tyrell Show by Miles Groes
Ralph Azham, Vol. 1: Black are the Stars by Lewis Trondheim
The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang by Stan Yan

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Steve chats with Rob Hart, author of the new book, Three Hitmen and a Baby, the third book in the Assassins Anonymous series, about how the skills of an assassin do not translate to the skills of a parent, the emotional depth the book explores, fight choreography, found family, and how Rob upended his plans for the fourth book while on his honeymoon. Plus, over at the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians April and Lindsey provide some great readalikes for Three Hitmen and a Baby!

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Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, where family is everything and danger lurks around every corner.

Assassins Anonymous isn’t just a weekly recovery meeting for reformed killers—it’s also a family.

When Valencia receives troubling news that her brother has gone missing, she wants rush off to LA to find him. But she can’t bring her baby girl, Lucia. Enter the other members of Assassins Anonymous—Mark, Astrid, and Booker, who offer to watch the toddler while she’s gone. After all, they’re three of the deadliest, most highly skilled people on the planet; what could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot. Shortly after Valencia leaves, Mark is summoned to the lair of Zmeya, a Russian mob boss calling in a deadly favor—she wants him to kill Astrid, his protege and friend. Mark refuses, but Zmeya reveals that she knows the identity of Mark’s ex-girlfriend . . . and his son. Either Astrid goes, or they do.

Meanwhile, Lucia spikes a dangerously high fever, and when Booker and Astrid take her to urgent care, they realize too late, that their fabricated identities are a real liability. Also, they don’t know Valencia’s last name, let alone Lucia’s. They can hardly blame the staff for calling the NYPD.

Suddenly the splintered group is on the run from both the Russian mob and the police, dodging bad guys and do-gooders while trying to find refuge in a city full of surveillance cameras—all without killing anyone. That is, until Zmeya captures Sara and Bennett, and Mark is ready to throw his sobriety out the window.

SHOW NOTES:

Three Hitmen and a Baby by Rob Hart
Circulating Ideas 289: The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart (2025)

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
Mrs. Shim is a Killer by Kang Jiyoung
Rules for Aging and Larceny by Julia London
Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne

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Steve chats with Camille Perri, author of the new book, Social Animals, about reluctant dog parents, why librarians should star in a reality show, the loneliness epidemic, and how she balances humor, relationship-building, and mystery to craft her new novel. Plus, over at the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians Sydney and Caleigh provide some great readalikes for Social Animals!

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Three women. One dog park. Things are about to get messy.

Val Caruso, Alex Reed, and June Kennerson come from completely different worlds—Val is a tough-talking private investigator; Alex is reticent, nervous and on the run from her past; and June is an athlete turned housewife whose true love is her pup.

When Val is hired by June’s husband to find out if June is cheating on him, it sets these three women on a collision course. Amid a colorful cast of characters who spend time at the shabby but beloved Hamilton Dog Park, they find they have more in common than they thought. Soon June is brave enough to aim for what she wants, Alex finds excitement she never expected, and Val is reluctantly opening her heart to the most high-maintenance dog she’s ever met. But when their secrets catch up with them, will their newfound friendships be able to withstand the pressure? Or will they find themselves in the doghouse?

Social Animals is a funny and sharp social commentary on community, privilege, dog ownership, and the ultimate power of finding your people (and your pets).

SHOW NOTES:

Social Animals by Camille Perri

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
The Dogsitter Detective by Antony Johnson
This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán
Someone’s Gotta Give by Alicia Fernandez Miranda

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Steve chats with Catherine Kurtz, author of the new book Feast, about how her painting and food writing skills contributed to her first novel, why food is the perfect vehicle to connect readers, the feeling of hope at the heart of the book, and a few anachronisms she could not help but include in the book. And stick around to hear reading recommendations from the Circ Desk, staffed this episode by Kendal and Lauren from NoveList!

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In nineteenth-century France, a young woman with a magical sense of taste saves a duc from poison, and her new role as poison taster thrusts her into the world of the nobility, where secrets and danger lurk around every corner.

Minha is born on the backstreets of late nineteenth-century London, the daughter of an Indian spice merchant and an English prostitute. She has a remarkable gift: an incredible sense of taste. She can taste the earth in which potatoes were grown or the tree on which fruits have ripened. She can smell each ingredient—and identify a single false note. But Minha’s gift and her mixed-race heritage provoke mistrust and rejection, even within her own family. Escaping alone to France, Minha chances upon work in the Château de Bellefalaise, where for the first time her strange abilities are lauded.

As official poison taster for Duc Nicolas, Minha must taste every morsel of food that will pass his lips. Others in the household are hostile to her, but when she discovers a man hiding in the stables, their unexpected meeting turns into the first true connection she’s felt since arriving in France.

But mystery and paranoia continue to swirl around the château, with the Duc’s poisoner unidentified and antagonism toward Minha growing. She knows it’s only a matter of time before fingers begin pointing her way. Will she run again, or is this the time to stand and fight?

A thoroughly addictive novel about food, possession, race, love, and a young woman fighting to build a fulfilling life against all odds, this is a gorgeously written debut by author Catherine Kurtz.

SHOW NOTES:

Feast by Catherine Kurtz

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
Hild by Nicola Griffith
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

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Kicking off the 2026 Circulating Ideas Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with humorist and librarian Hayley DeRoche, author of the new book, Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: a Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent, about the “sad beige” parenting aesthetic, how a Werner Herzog joke went viral, the deeper cultural critique of consumerism and parenting anxiety, and her journey from foster care advocate to comedy writer and published author. And from the Circ Desk, NoveList librarians Yaika and April give listeners some great book recommendations!

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From Hayley DeRoche, the humorist who first coined the term “Sad Beige Mom,” a tongue-in-cheek illustrated guide to the neutral aesthetic sweeping nurseries everywhere.

Welcome to the wonderful world of beige parenting, where newborns are swaddled in soothingly sophisticated taupe muslin blankies and toddlers play only with wooden toys in shades ranging from oatmeal to sand. In Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe, Hayley DeRoche, the creator known online as @sadbeige, delivers a witty, illustrated satire of the perfectly monochromatic curated lifestyle embraced by modern parents. In a collection ranging from essays and quizzes to advice columns and poems, she takes aim at buzzy parenting trends such as feeding children artisanal baby superfoods or choosing obscure names for their kids like Tawny and Sorrel. This guide walks new parents through every step of the sad beige parenting journey, from decorating the nursery (take care to choose a suitably existential theme such as the Vastness of the Universe), all the way to the milestone that is the first birthday party (be sure to eschew plastic party favors in favor of hand-whittled wooden toys.) Along the way, she gently encourages new parents to realize that they are already the ideal caregiver for their unique little person, with or without the latest limited edition baby carrier or must-have sleep course. With custom illustrations by Julia Emiliani, this heartfelt blend of humor and social commentary is a breath of fresh air for both overwhelmed parents and those striving for Instagram perfection.

SHOW NOTES:

Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: a Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

Cry When the Baby Cries by Becky Barnicoat
The Mamas: What I Learned About Kids, Class, and Race from Moms Not Like Me by Helena Andrews-Dyer
Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sarah Petersen
The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave

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Steve chats with Jarrett Dapier, writer of the graphic novel Wake Now in the Fire, about his path to librarianship, the story of Chicago public school students fighting back against censorship, the irony of Persepolis being the target of that censorship, and what librarians can do to fight quiet censorship.

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It starts as an update at one Chicago high school: copies of a certain book are no longer allowed in the classrooms or the library. But it’s not just one high school—it’s all Chicago public schools. Not even the principals know why this is happening; they just know they must comply with the order. One thing is clear: The book, which tells a story of oppression, survival, and resistance against authoritarian power, is seen as a threat, dangerous enough to ban. One other thing is clear: Some of the students aren’t going to let this go without resistance of their own.

As the extent of the ban becomes known, the students rise up. They organize a school-wide walkout and library sit-in. They publicize the banning in every forum they can: social media, the press, classes, clubs, the school paper. And most of all, they get everyone they know to read the book: Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.

Told from multiple perspectives, based on extensive interviews with the real-life students and teachers who were affected, and written by the librarian who exposed key information about the Chicago Public Schools censorship decision, Wake Now in the Fire is a fictionalized account of a true event that galvanized a community. With illustrations by Alex Award-winner AJ Dungo that perfectly capture the everyday joys, heartbreak, and stresses of high school, this graphic novel is an inspiring portrayal of student activism taking on one of the most urgent issues of our time, and a passionate reminder of why protecting the books we love matters.

Jarrett Dapier is an author, librarian, and lifelong drummer. His debut YA graphic novel, WAKE NOW IN THE FIRE, illustrated by AJ Dungo and edited by Ginee Seo, is about teens fighting censorship in Chicago and is based on true events. Jarrett’s picture book, MR. WATSON’s CHICKENS, illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi and published by Chronicle Books, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, received the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard distinction, and was selected by NPR and Bookpage as one of the best books of 2021. Jarrett’s picture book, JAZZ FOR LUNCH!, illustrated by Eugenia Mello and published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, received a starred review in Kirkus and was a finalist for the Ezra Jack Keats awards for both writing and illustration.

His third picture book, THE MOST HAUNTED HOUSE IN AMERICA, is a goofy, ghostly, rhythmic romp based on Jarrett’s experience drumming while dressed as a skeleton at the White House in 2009. That book is illustrated by Lee Gatlin, published by Abrams Books, and was a 2023 Illinois Reads selection.

Jarrett loves reading, playing the drums, visiting libraries and bookstores with friends, going to punk rock and heavy metal shows with his son, visiting historic Chicago sites with his wife, seeing theatre with his daughter (or theatre performed by his daughter), laying on the floor with his rescue dog Loki, swimming in Lake Michigan, watching and caring for birds around Chicago, kayaking in lagoons, and eating lots of candy (Nerds Gummy Clusters, please).

Jarrett hosts a podcast called I’m With the Banned, which is devoted to examining censorship in American culture through conversations with writers, artists, and librarians. He also drums in a band called Fascinator (you can download their 4-song EP “Trust Falls” here).

Jarrett was born with a crossed eye, a bad case of asthma, and the start of a sixth finger dangling off his left hand. He can see the hospital where he was born from his backyard.

Jarrett lives within spitting distance of Chicago in Evanston, IL.

SHOW NOTES:

Wake Now in the Fire

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with journalism instructor Jeremy Shermak about the state of media today, how AI is reshaping journalism education, and why local news may be the best hope for rebuilding trust in an increasingly polarized information landscape.

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Dr. Jeremy Shermak is a journalism professor at Cuesta College and a lecturer in the Journalism Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He holds a Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri, and a Master of Arts in Writing from DePaul University. Before entering academia, he worked as a professional journalist and has continued to integrate reporting into his teaching across courses in multimedia journalism, media ethics, and mass communication. His research and professional work focus on digital journalism, social media, and the evolving role of news in public life. He also produces independent media content, including the “MediaMak” podcast series.

SHOW NOTES:

Cuesta College
The CuestonianMediaMak podcast [Apple Podcasts]

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Steve chats with Lynne M. Thomas and Katy Rawdon, authors of The Infinite Loop: Archives and Time Travel in the Popular Imagination, about how they each got into the profession, why archives can never truly be neutral and objective, how archives and special collections are portrayed within time travel narratives in pop culture, and what we can learn from those narratives to correct misconceptions and misinformation.

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Spanning H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine to Marvel’s Loki, this delightful book considers how science fiction stories portray archives and archivists, analyzes the ways in which these portrayals affect readers’ views, and shows how archivists can leverage these insights to improve the public’s understanding of the discipline.The fascination with time travel and its consistent popularity within the science fiction genre is deeply rooted in science fiction writers’ and readers’ passion for history and, by extension, for libraries and other kinds of archives. However, time travel, archives, and history intersect in the public imagination in ways that don’t always match up with the reality of archival work. This book engages archivists and devotees of science fiction alike by exploring common tropes within the genre—and common assumptions in the archival profession—and providing context. Presenting a book that can serve as a teaching text, readers’ advisory guide, and thought-provoking page turner, the authors

explore dozens of novels, short stories, movies, and TV series (particularly Doctor Who), spotlighting different science fictional approaches to writing about time travel while pointing out how archives and archivists are represented in different time travel stories;
examine how various cultures and societies view and understand time differently, using works such as Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Toshikazo Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and Rivers Solomon’sAn Unkindness of Ghosts to show how differences in temporal perception affect the presentation of time travel in their works;
look at stereotypes, outdated views, and biases depicted within time travel depictions of archives, comparing these portrayals with real-world archives and historical records;
discuss ways in which understanding time travel fiction can help archivists improve their relationships with the public and encourage more accurate fictional depictions of their work; and
connect the concepts in their book to cultural heritage practices that encourage critical thinking about archivists’ roles in documenting our times.

Twelve-time Hugo Award winner Lynne M. Thomas is the Head of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She previously served as the Head of Distinctive Collections and Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL (2004-2017) where she was responsible for popular culture special collections including the literary papers of over 75 SF/F authors and the official archives of SFWA. She is the co-author of Special Collections 2.0 (Libraries Unlimited, 2009) and the co-editor of New Directions for Special Collections: An Anthology of Practice, both with Beth Whittaker (ABC-CLIO, 2016). An alumna of Smith College with a degree in French and Comparative Literature, she also holds an MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MA in English and American Literature from Northern Illinois University. She co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords (2010) with Tara O’Shea, and currently contributes to the Verity! Doctor Who Podcast.

Katy Rawdon is the Coordinator of Technical Services for the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University, a public research university in Philadelphia. She worked previously as the Director of Archives, Libraries, and Special Collections at the Barnes Foundation (2001-2012), an art collection and educational institution which houses one of the world’s greatest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern art. She co-authored the chapter “What’s in a Name? Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia and the Impact of Names and Name Authorities in Archival Description” in Ethical Questions in Name Authority Control, (Library Juice Press, 2019), the Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia Anti-Racist Description Resources (2019), and contributed to the Best Practices for Queer Metadata (2024) as part of the Queer Metadata Collective. A published author of romance novels (as Katy James) and poetry, and an enthusiastic fanfic writer, she has long been interested in intersections between popular culture and her work in special collections. She received her BA in Art History and Women’s Studies from Smith College and her MLS from Simmons College.

SHOW NOTES:

The Infinite Loop: Archives and Time Travel in the Popular Imagination
“The Big Idea: Lynne M. Thomas & Katy Rawdon” [Whatever, 19 March 2026]

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Steve chats with Alex Segura, author of the new book Daredevil: Enemy of My Enemy: a Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel, about the book, how Daredevil’s dual life as a defense attorney and vigilante makes him uniquely suited for legal thrillers, Alex’s journey from comics fan to writer of Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Dick Tracy, and the creative challenges of writing beloved characters you don’t own.

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**Matt Murdock defends the Punisher in the trial of the century—the murder of the Kingpin—while by night Daredevil staves off a war of succession for the throne of the criminal underworld.

Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Alex Segura (Secret Identity) pens an all-new Marvel Crime thriller novel for adult readers.**

When reports come in that the Kingpin and a police officer have been killed and that Frank Castle (aka the Punisher) has turned himself in for it, Matt Murdock senses holes in the narratives the media and the streets are quick to run with.

Both criminals have been Matt’s nemeses when he dons the cowl of the Daredevil, and there’s no denying that New York is better off without its Kingpin and with the Punisher behind bars. And yet . . . while the Punisher is a murderous vigilante, he doesn’t kill cops. And he doesn’t turn himself in.

Castle certainly deserves prison for all of the other crimes he has committed in the past. However, Matt’s indominable sense of justice insists that nobody should be locked away for crimes they didn’t actually commit. Representing the vigilante in court, Matt enters a contest of wills and guile with Castle to try and uncover the game beneath the game. And when Matt’s girlfriend takes the stand and complicates matters, there’s truly no rest for the wicked or the just. As the Kingpin’s absence causes passion and ambitions to run hot in Hell’s Kitchen, Matt must decide if justice means the letter of the law, what’s best for the citizen on the streets, or where his heart leading him.

Enemy of My Enemy continues the Marvel Crime series that began with Lisa Jewell’s Breaking the Dark, and brings fans into a grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Universe. Marvel Crime novels build on one another but do not require in-depth familiarity with Marvel or the other books in the series.

Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, which the New York Times called “wittily original” and named an Editors’ Choice. His work includes the YA superhero adventure Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow, the follow-up to Secret Identity, Alter Ego, and the sci-fi/espionage thriller, Dark Space (with Rob Hart). Alex is also the author of Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, the Pete Fernandez Miami Mystery series, and a number of comic books, including The Mysterious Micro-Face (in partnership with NPR), The Black Ghost, The Archies, The Dusk, The Awakened, and more.

SHOW NOTES:

Enemy of My Enemy: A Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel

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Steve chats with Tamika Barnes and Becky Calzada, this year’s candidates for President of the American Library Association. Tamika Barnes is Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, and the current President of the Georgia Library Association, and Becky is the District Library Coordinator for the Leander Independent School District, TX. They discuss their backgrounds in librarianship, what motivated them to run for president, their approaches to ALA’s key challenges including financial transparency, member engagement across all library types, and advocacy during a time of increasing censorship battles, and their aligned values around member-centered leadership.

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Tamika Barnes is the Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, where she provides strategic leadership for libraries across five campuses in the metro Atlanta area serving students in more than 30 associate-degree pathways. A nationally recognized leader in the library profession, Tamika has served on the American Library Association Executive Board, recently chaired ALA’s Budget and Review Committee, and will serve as President of the Georgia Library Association in 2026. Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including UCLA Library Senior Fellows, the Bob Richardson Award, and multiple national diversity and advocacy awards. She is also an educator, currently serving as an adjunct faculty member with Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and previously teaching at North Carolina Central University, UNC Chapel Hill, and UNC Greensboro. Across all roles, Tamika is committed to advancing advocacy, equity, professional development, and strong, transparent library leadership.

Becky Calzada is a District Library Coordinator in Leander, Texas and a co-founding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters, a grass-roots led group of librarians launched back in October 2021. She is the Immediate Past President for the American Association of School Librarians President, has served on the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, and is actively engaged in supporting intellectual freedom advocacy both in her state and nationally. She is the recipient of several intellectual freedom awards and is the co-author of Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams: A Workbook for Navigating Intellectual Freedom Challenges Together published in June 2024. She is featured in The Librarians documentary, a film which spotlights brave school librarians who are on the front lines in the fight against censorship.

SHOW NOTES:

Tamika Barnes campaign site
Becky Calzada campaign site

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Terra Jacobson and Spencer Brayton, editors of Valuing the Community College Library: Impactful Practices for Institutional Success, about the value that libraries bring to community colleges, the gap in research on community college libraries, the power of partnerships across campus, future opportunities for AI literacy and misinformation education, and why the “third space” concept can be reconsidered for today’s community college libraries.

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Terra JacobsenTerra B. Jacobson has been the dean of Learning Resources at Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Hills, IL) since 2016 and has worked in community college libraries since 2009. She has a PhD in Information Studies from Dominican University, an MS in Information Science, and an MS in Library Science, both from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her current research interests are strategic planning, outreach, and advocacy in academic libraries, and the future and value of community college libraries. She has published in College and Research Libraries, Library Philosophy and Practice, and a chapter in Managing Crises in the Academic Library: Past, Present and Future. She has served as the chair of Network of Illinois Learning Resources in Community Colleges (NILRC), a statewide consortium for community college learning resources, the CJCLS Scholarly Communications Committee, ACRL’s Standards Committee and the Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey Editorial Board. She currently teaches online at the State University of New York and at Dominican University in the School of Information Studies.

Spencer Brayton is director of Library Services at Waubonsee Community College (northeastern Illinois, USA). His research and publication interests include media and information literacy, community college libraries, coaching and leadership. Spencer received his Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science in Management from the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL), and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

SHOW NOTES:

Valuing the Community College Library: Impactful Practices for Institutional Success

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Steve chats with Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees, authors of You & Me and You & Me and You & Me, a time-traveling romantic comedy about long-term love, about their past experiences with libraries, their writing process, the fun (but also the dangers) of nostalgia, and why your perfect life may be the one you’re living right now.

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Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees first published together twenty-five years ago with the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Come Together, which was translated into twenty-seven languages and made into a film by Working Title. Josie and Emlyn then wrote a further six bestselling rom-coms together, all published in the UK. Josie has written thirteen other novels in a variety of genres, including The Bright Side Running Club, based on her own experience of breast cancer, which is currently in film development and was published in the U.S., while Emlyn has written a number of thrillers under his own name and as a ghost writer, published in the UK. Just like Adam and Jules in You & Me and You & Me and You & Me, Josie and Emlyn live with their kids and dog by Brighton Beach, but sadly they haven’t discovered a hole in the space-time continuum in their garden shed…or at least not yet…

SHOW NOTES:

You & Me and You & Me and You & Me

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Steve chats with collection development librarian Lila Denning about passive readers’ advisory, practical tips for creating effective book displays, making displayed accessible and inclusive, partnering with local businesses to promote library services and collections, and how the horror genre helps readers understand different perspectives and emotions.

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Lila Denning is a librarian in Florida specializing in Passive Readers’ Advisory for patrons of all ages. She is the Acquisitions Coordinator for the St Petersburg Library System and has worked in circulation, collection development, reference, and youth services. She serves the volunteer coordinator for the Horror Writers Association. You can find her on BlueSky @Vantine.bsky.social. On her blog, bookdisplays.blogspot.com, she talks about ideas for book displays and other forms of Passive Readers Advisory and how to best use it to serve your patrons.

SHOW NOTES:

Passively Recommending Books

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Steve chats with Lucas Maxwell, author of Roll for Adventure: Tabletop Roleplaying Adventures for Your School or Public Library, about his journey from D&D enthusiast to librarian, the educational and social benefits of gaming for young people, and practical advice for librarians looking to start their own tabletop gaming programs!

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Become the ultimate Game Master and deliver tabletop role-playing games with confidence!For librarians, teachers, school staff, and parents who want to run a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) but who don’t know where to begin, this practical guide includes five tabletop role-playing adventures written so a first-time Game Master can jump straight in and start playing. Alongside the adventures the book includes

examples of safety tools to allow players to stay safe;
a comprehensive TTRPG glossary;
practical tips for helping new players at the TTRPG table;
practical tips for first-time Game Master and new players;
ideas on how to establish role-playing sessions and festivals in your school; and
lists of potions, magic items and non-player characters, including their motivations and occupations.

A companion to Maxwell’s bestselling Let’s Roll, this book is a must-read for librarians and teachers looking to deliver exciting and creative games and quests. Now roll the dice and have fun!

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Lucas Maxwell has been working with teens in public and school libraries for close to fifteen years. He is currently the librarian at Glenthorne High School in London, UK. He writes for Book Riot and has contributed to School Library Journal and American Library Association publications. In 2017, Lucas was named the School Librarian of the Year by the UK’s School Library Association.

SHOW NOTES:

Let’s Roll: A Guide to Setting up Tabletop Role-Playing Games in your School or Public Library
Roll for Adventure: Tabletop Roleplaying Adventures for Your School or Public Library
Dungeon Master’s Guild: Wild Sheep Chase | Grammy’s Country Apple Pie
A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once

Looking for a catalog solution on a tiny budget? TinyCat offers a powerful and professional catalog perfect for small libraries; from classrooms and churches, to schools and public libraries. The catalog is easy to use and easy to customize to your library’s needs. You can import library records or scan books in with the mobile app, track circulation, send reminder emails, and view detailed reports. TinyCat is powered by LibraryThing, and has served thousands of libraries over the last 10 years.

To double the length of your free trial, sign up at librarycat.org and say you heard about TinyCat from the Circulating Ideas podcast.

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Steve chats with Karla Bame Collins, author of School Libraries Supporting Students with Hidden Needs and Talents: From ADHD to Vision Impairment, about her focus on supporting students with diverse and often invisible needs, practical strategies for making school libraries more inclusive, universal design for learning, and the importance of building supportive networks within schools and the broader library community.

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Together, librarians and specialists can create experiences to reach all learners in their buildings, including those with hidden needs and talents.

While school librarians are experts at collaborating with classroom teachers, too often they overlook the specialists in their buildings as key collaborative partners.

Focusing on the many specialists who work with students, Karla Bame Collins provides information about their roles and responsibilities and discusses how school librarians can collaborate to improve learning for all students, including those with hidden needs, disabilities, and talents that are not easily detected and may go undiagnosed. Because librarians work with every student, but may not always be informed about each student’s particular needs, it’s important for them to know whom in the school to turn to for information. Librarians will gain ideas for working with students to provide the best possible learning environment for each.

This practical book looks at the whole school library environment-collection, instruction, space, and programming-and offers many ideas for librarians to collaborate with other educators and specialists for the good of all students.

SHOW NOTES:

School Libraries Supporting Students with Hidden Needs and Talents: From ADHD to Vision Impairment

To double the length of your free trial, sign up at librarycat.org and say you heard about TinyCat from the Circulating Ideas podcast.

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Bradley Custer, higher education expert, about his experience at the U.S. Department of Education, the impact of recent mass firings, and what these changes mean for students, educators, and the future of American education.

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Dr. Bradley Custer is a higher education policy expert in Washington, D.C. He was most recently an analyst at the U.S. Department of Education, where he resolved complex complaints from student loan borrowers. He was previously a researcher at the Center for American Progress and a student services administrator on public college and university campuses. He holds a Ph.D. in higher, adult, and lifelong education from Michigan State University.

SHOW NOTES:

Dr. Bradley Custer on LinkedIn
U.S. Department of Education

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In this milestone 300th episode of Circulating Ideas, Steve Thomas chats with Rich Harwood, president and founder of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and author of “The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in Each Other and Our Nation,” about Harwood’s inspirational journey, the importance of community in building hope, and how libraries and local organizations can help restore hope, dignity, and civic engagement in America.

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We are suffering from a crisis of belief in our country today. So many people have lost faith in America—in our leaders, institutions, and even one another. The status quo is not working for far too many of us. Our central task today is to meet this historic moment. But how do we grow our belief that we can get things done together—not as Republicans or Democrats or Independents, but as Americans? How do we rebuild trust and reclaim agency?

In this deeply personal manifesto written while crisscrossing the country for his “Enough. Time to Build.” civic campaign, Richard C. Harwood reveals how we can address the fundamental challenges holding us back in America today. We must dedicate ourselves to forging a new civic path that grows our belief that we can move forward amid our real differences. The New Civic Path is a must-read for those who want to spark civic renewal and get our communities and the country moving again.

Richard C. Harwood, President and Founder of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, is an innovator, author, and speaker. For nearly 40 years, he has devoted his career to revitalizing the nation’s hardest-hit communities, transforming the world’s largest organizations, and reconnecting institutions to society. He has been recruited to solve some of the most difficult problems of our time, including being called into Newtown, CT, after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He has appeared in numerous national media outlets and has written scores of articles, groundbreaking reports, and nine books. In 2025, Rich and the Institute are running the Campaign for the New Civic Path, anchored by his manifesto, The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our Nation.

SHOW NOTES:

The New Civic Path: Restoring Our Belief in One Another and Our NationThe Harwood Institute

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Steve chats with Max Brallier, author of The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair, about the evolution of the series over its ten-year run, the appeal of post-apocalyptic stories for kids, the enduring importance of friendship at the heart of the series, and the challenges of balancing humor with darker themes.

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Jack and Quint are trapped in the Monster Dimension! Their mission: prevent Rezzoch the Ancient, Destructor of Worlds, from reaching Earth and annihilating civilization. To do this, they must secure an audience with a creature more mysterious than any other. It’s a race against time—and a race through the monster dimension! But before they can get back home to June and Dirk, Jack will find himself in a confrontation that will change everything. . . .

SHOW NOTES:

The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair
The Last Comics on Earth: A Song of Swords and StuffiesCirculating Ideas 258: The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains! by Max Brallier

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Steve chats with Becky Siegel Spratford, editor of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, about her deep involvement and interest in the horror genre, the inspiration and process behind her book, the diversity of voices in horror, how horror can foster empathy and address real-world anxieties, and the dangers of quicksand (it’s everywhere).

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A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry.

For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.

Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.

SHOW NOTES:

Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature
RA for All
RA for All: Horror
Why I Love Horror: The Book Tour
StokerCon 2025 Keynote Speech: “Why We Need Horror Authors in the Fight For the Freedom to Read”

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Steve chats with Dr. Steve Albrecht, author of The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping It Real, Legal, and Ethical, about the importance of library leaders learning about human resources, handling performance reviews, onboarding, and why civility is the key to a healthy and effective workplace culture.

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The human resources (HR) function for libraries can range in size and scope, depending on the size of the library. The complexities of HR today call for a guiding manual to help keep the multitude of processes fair, legal, and accurate. This book provides the level of detail for new and seasoned HR leaders to use to staff and operate their libraries with the best employees they can find. It offers legal advice from labor law attorneys, and operational steps, policies, and processes from Dr. Steve Albrecht, a longtime HR consultant for municipal government.

Even with the support of an HR Department (however large or small), all library leaders who have supervisory responsibility over their staff (hiring, firing, performance evaluation, assigning job duties) must have a working, updated knowledge of HR issues related to employing people in their branches. (And don’t forget that even student interns, unpaid volunteers, and part-time employees have similar employment rights as full-time, paid employees.) This means that besides the myriad of other duties required to run a safe, efficient, useful library for the community, library leaders – from the Director, to the department heads, to the managers, to the frontline supervisors, to the PIC (Person in Charge on each work shift) – each must know what they can and cannot do when it comes to HR laws, policies, guidelines, and best practices.

This includes: legal issues related to screening interviewing, and hiring applicants; successful on-boarding and new-employee orientation programs; coaching for improved work performance or employee behavior; mentoring employees for both promotional opportunities and succession planning; the challenges of attendance, sick leave, ADA and FMLA issues; fair and legal performance evaluations; working with employees in a union or an association; HR practices related to testing, promoting, disciplining, or terminating library employees; and keeping all employees motivated and connected, using wellness, stress management, and programs to prevent burnout or “quiet quitting.” Other books for library leaders may touch on HR issues as part of a broader look at supervising employees. This book will focus on it.

Dr. Steve Albrecht is well known in libraries for his workshops, webinars, podcasts, and articles on library service, safety, and security. He has worked as an HR consultant and security trainer for several decades. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (www.SHRM.org) and has been board certified by them as “Professional In Human Resources” (PHR) since 1996.

SHOW NOTES:

The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping It Real, Legal, and Ethical
Library 2.0

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Nicole A. Cooke, editor of The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship: When They Dared to Be Powerful, about the history, impact, and ongoing contributions of Black women in the library profession, what drew her to the University of South Carolina, and preserving the stories of trailblazing librarians whose legacies continue to inspire.

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Nicole A. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and a Professor at the University of South Carolina. Her research and teaching interests include human information behavior, critical cultural information studies, LIS Education, and diversity and social justice in librarianship. She has been awarded the 2019 Association of Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2021 MLK Social Justice Award presented by the University of South Carolina, and the 2024 American Library Association (ALA) Lippincott award. She has edited and authored several books, including Information Services to Diverse Populations (2016) and Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-truth Era (2018). She is the Founding Editor of ALA Editions/Neal-Schuman’s Critical Cultural Information Studies series, and her latest book is The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship: When They Dared to Be Powerful (2025).

SHOW NOTES:

The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship: When They Dared to Be Powerful

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Steve chats with Michael Hanegan and Chris Rosser, authors of Generative AI and Libraries: Claiming Our Place in the Center of a Shared Future, about generative AI as an arrival technology, why librarians should play a central role in shaping an ethical future of AI, practical frameworks for AI integration, and how libraries can leverage their trusted position to guide community’s through rapid technological change.

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Addressing a topic of great concern with both urgency and clarity, this book offers a compelling vision for libraries to claim their central role as trusted stewards of knowledge and architects of a responsible and equitable AI-driven world.In the form of generative AI, libraries are facing technological transformation of unprecedented speed and scale. Both controversial and disruptive, the sudden ubiquity of AI has already triggered uncertainty as well as the need for rapid adaptation. As AI reshapes how humans learn, work, and interact with information, libraries across the ecosystem—from public to academic, from school to special libraries—must resist the temptation to merely serve as static support and instead claim the center by becoming a dynamic, positive influence. Because, as the authors of this book persuasively argue, libraries are uniquely positioned to lead AI’s ethical and human-centered integration within communities. Blending theory and concepts with an unswervingly pragmatic approach, from this book readers will

be introduced to foundational principles and frameworks for navigating the so-called “Age of Intelligence” that provide useful guiderails no matter how AI technology actively evolves;
delve into the complex ethical considerations of AI, including bias, equity, privacy, misinformation, and the potential impact on human agency and dignity;
receive guidance related to stakeholder engagement, resource allocation, and the need for continuous learning and adaptation;
discover practical models for evaluating and implementing AI tools thoughtfully and effectively in ways that align with libraries’ values and mission;
become familiar with STACKS, an approach for learning, problem solving, and innovation with generative AI;
explore AI literacy as an expression of metaliteracy using seven frames for instruction and learning; and
walk away with a sense of how libraries can actively define their essential role as leaders and shapers of the AI landscape, ensuring their continued value and preventing marginalization.

As this book demonstrates, by embracing their unique position as ethical stewards and trusted guides, libraries have an unprecedented opportunity to shape how AI transforms society—not from the margins, but from the center of a shared future.

Michael Hanegan is the founder and chief research officer of the Center for the Future of Learning and Work. He is an adjunct professor at Rose State College and the University of Central Oklahoma. His research and practice spans K–12 schools, higher education, the library ecosystem, and industry to cultivate and sustain human-centered approaches to the future of learning and work. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Chris Rosser is First Year and Transfer Experience Librarian at Oklahoma State University. From 2009 to 2024, Chris served as an instructional and Theological Librarian at Oklahoma Christian University. His expertise centers around pedagogy, instructional design, and innovative approaches to learning, including gamification, and AI-empowered learning. His work has been featured at the American Library Association annual conference, American Theological Librarian Association, Oklahoma Association of College and Research Libraries, Transformative Learning Conference, and Christian Scholar’s Conference. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

SHOW NOTES:

Generative AI and Libraries: Claiming Our Place in the Center of a Shared Future

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Rachel Louise Driscoll, author of The House of Two Sisters, about her background as a librarian, the blending of Victorian Gothic and Egyptian mythology in her book, sisterhood (real and mythic!), and why Victorian England was primed for Egyptomania! Following the interview, in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca from Library Reads and April from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Rachel’s book!

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A young Victorian Egyptologist traverses the Nile River on a mission to undo a curse that may have befallen her family in this spellbinding novel.

Essex, 1887. Clementine’s ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at her father’s Egyptian relic parties, which have become the talk of the town. But at one such party, the words she interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. As her childhood games about Isis and Nephthys—sister goddesses who protect the dead—take on a devastating resonance in her life, and tragedy slowly consumes her loved ones, she wonders what she and her father may have unleashed.

Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Cairo desperate to save what remains of her family back home. There, she meets a motley crew of unwitting English travelers about to set sail down the Nile—including an adventurer with secrets of his own—and joins them on a mission to reach Denderah, a revered religious site, where she hopes to return the amulet and atone for her sins.

With each passing day, she is further engulfed in a life she’s yearned for all along. But as long-buried secrets and betrayals rise to the surface, Clemmie must reconcile the impossibility of living in the light while her past keeps her anchored to the darkness.

SHOW NOTES:
The House of Two Sisters

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:
London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller by Nadia Wassef

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with James Yang, author and illustrator of The Universe, Big and Small: A Story About Carl Sagan, about his creative process, the influence of libraries and picture books on his career, working with creative people in his family and later at his publisher, and the picture book illustrators who inspired him. And in The Circ Desk segment, April Mazza and Zach Woods from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to James’s book.

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Geisel Award–winning creator James Yang explores the mysteries of the universe, inspired by the work of lauded astronomer Carl Sagan.

When Carl stared out the window, he had many questions.

Astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan loved asking questions—he wanted to learn about everything from the smallest atoms to the vastness of the galaxy. And by using his imagination and allowing himself to dream up questions big and small, he inspired others to keep exploring the mysteries of the universe and our place in it.

Geisel Award-winning author and illustrator James Yang invites readers on a fantastic journey through the cosmos, inspired by the life and work of Carl Sagan.

SHOW NOTES:A Universe Big & Small: a Story about Carl Sagan

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:Your Place In The Universe by Jason Chin
Another by Christian Robinson
Mae Among the Stars written by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington
What Miss Mitchell Saw written by Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Diana Sudyka

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Sherry Thomas, author of The Librarians, about her love for libraries, learning English from reading books, her Lady Sherlock series, and her writing process, especially for her first contemporary mystery novel. And in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and from April Mazza from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Sherry’s book.

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Murder disrupts the routine for four quirky librarians who hide among books to keep their secrets in this mystery from USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas.

Sometimes a workplace isn’t just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge….

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don’t always realize that their librarians are human, too.

Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. And Sophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won’t be enough anymore.

When two patrons turn up dead after the library’s inaugural murder mystery–themed game night, the librarians’ quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library—and themselves—is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together….

All in a day’s work.

SHOW NOTES:The Librarians

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:
Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner
How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Alma Katsu, author of Fiend, about her experiences with libraries, her career in intelligence, the evolving nature of the horror genre, and artificial intelligence. And in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Alma’s book.

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Historical horror maven Alma Katsu turns her talents to the modern world for the first time, in this terrifying tale about an all-powerful family with an ancient evil under its thumb.

Imagine if the Sackler family had a demon at their beck and call.

The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they’ve always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence. Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They’re blessed.

At least that is what Zef, the patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family—Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets, Maris’s most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically, and Nora’s job, as the youngest, is to just stay out of the way. But when things stop going as planned, and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, each hatching their own secret scheme. They didn’t get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it might be their own.

SHOW NOTES:Fiend

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Weyward: a Novel by Emilia Hart
Galilee by Clive Barker
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Jayson Greene, author of UnWorld, about his personal experiences with libraries, the emotional and thematic underpinnings of “UnWorld,” including grief and the concept of memory, as well as the novel’s speculative exploration of AI. And in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Zack Moore from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Jayson’s book.

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From the author of Once More We Saw Stars comes a gripping novel about four intertwined lives that collide in the wake of a mysterious tragedy. Set in a near-future world where the boundaries between human and AI blur, the story challenges our understanding of consciousness and humanity.

Anna is shattered by the violent death of her son, Alex, and tormented by the question of whether it was an accident or a suicide. Samantha is Alex’s best friend, and the only eyewitness to his death. She keeps returning to the cliff where she watched him either jump or fall, trying to sift through the shards. Aviva is an “upload,” a digital entity composed of the sense memories of a human tether. But she’s “emancipated,” having left her human behind. Set free from her source and harboring a troubling secret, she finds temporary solace in the body of Cathy, a self-destructive ex-addict turned AI professor and upload-rights activist.

With UnWorld, Jayson Greene envisions a grim but eerily familiar near-future where all lines have blurred—between visceral and digital, human and machine, real and unreal. As Anna, Cathy, Sam, and Aviva’s stories hurtle toward each other, the stakes of UnWorld reveal themselves with electrifying intensity: What happens to the soul when it is splintered by grief? Where does love reside except in memory? What does it mean to be conscious, to be human, to be alive?

SHOW NOTES:
UnWorld

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:The Ferryman: A Novel by Justin Cronin
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Toward Eternity by Anton Hur

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Rob Hart, author of The Medusa Protocol, the follow-up to Assassin’s Anonymous, about the importance of libraries in his life (and how he’s fought for them!), the inspiration behind his unique take on the assassin genre, his creative process, and much more! Following the interview, in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Rob’s book.

Read the transcript!

Welcome back to Assassins Anonymous, the only twelve-step group where joining can be deadly.

When Astrid, known in her assassin days as Azrael, stopped showing up to Assassins Anonymous, the group assumed her past had caught up with her. Only her sponsor Mark, formerly the deadliest killer in the world, holds out hope that she’s okay. Then, during a meeting, the group gets a sign, or rather, a pizza delivery. Is there another psychopath out there who actually likes olives on their pizza, or is Astrid trying to send Mark a message?

Meanwhile, Astrid wakes up in the cell of a black site prison, on a remote island. A doctor subjects her to mysterious experiments, plumbing the depths of her memory and looking for a vital clue from her past. She’ll do anything to escape, except…killing anyone. Hmm. Turns out it’s not easy to blow this joint without blowing anything, or anyone up.

SHOW NOTES:The Medusa Protocol
Assassin’s Anonymous

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
The Recruiter by Gregg Podolski

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Alison McGhee, author of Weird Sad and Silent, about her childhood experiences with libraries, themes like childhood trauma, resilience, and the importance of being seen, and the real life inspiration for the librarian character in the book! And in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Lindsey Dunn from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Alison’s book.

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In this touching novel by the acclaimed author of Telephone of the Tree, an intriguing new boy at school helps Daisy cope with both bullying and past trauma.

Daisy has been working on invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies who are targeting her. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the Lunchroom of Terror and secretly counting whenever she’s anxious.

But things are looking up. A new boy has befriended her and seems able to stand up to the bullies, and the stray cat she’s been feeding is starting to almost trust her. Maybe she can finally focus on futurizing rather than invisibilizing.

ALISON McGHEE has been awarded the Minnesota Book Award and the Great Lakes College Association New Writers Award for her first novel, Rainlight. This is her second novel. Her short fiction has been published widely in literary magazines. Born and reared in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, she currently lives in Minnesota.

SHOW NOTES:Weird Sad and Silent

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:
If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren
Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A Boy Called Bat by Elena Arnold
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

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Continuing the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Melanie Sweeney, author of Where You’re Planted, about her experiences with libraries through her life, the inspiration behind Where You’re Planted, her writing process, and how she incorporates intimate scenes with character arcs. And in The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Melanie’s book.

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From the author of the “phenomenal achievement” (Kirkus) Take Me Home, a children’s librarian must temporarily move her public library into a shed in the county botanic gardens, where her archnemesis is the assistant director.

Single mom Tansy Perkins only has room in her life for her daughter and her library. And maybe the next book to add to her collection. But after a catastrophic hurricane severely damages her library, she’s forced to temporarily move her branch into the adjacent county botanic gardens, where Jack Reid—the world’s grouchiest gardener who rescued her and her daughter from the flood—happens to be the assistant director.

Jack has always preferred plants over people, having built a strong track record of avoiding relationships ever since his divorce six years ago. So, Tansy and her quirky band of bookish colleagues’ encroachment into his carefully-kept territory is a little more than irksome, especially when it means sharing his already-scarce resources.

When Jack and Tansy are tasked with working together on the spring festival, they have no choice but to call a truce. And soon their newfound professional partnership gives way to a deep intimacy that they’ve both been silently craving. But Tansy has lost too much to risk her heart, and Jack has sworn off real love. When an opportunity arises for funding that both the library and gardens need, will their loyalties lie with the futures they’d always planned for, or the new spark they’ve found with each other?

Melanie Sweeney is the USA Today bestselling author of Take Me Home. She writes contemporary romance in which ordinary people find extraordinary love, and she lives near Houston, Texas, with her husband, three kids, and too many cats. When she’s not writing, she’s figure skating, embroidering, or playing her ukulele.

SHOW NOTES:
Where You’re Planted

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:What You Wish For by Katherine Center
Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady
Pick-Up by Nora Dalia
A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

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In this kick-off to the 2025 Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Jessie Rosen, author of All the Signs, about the inspiration behind her book, her writing process, personal discovery in her narrative, and how much she believes in astrology! In the return of The Circ Desk segment, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList offer reading recommendations related to Jessie’s book.

Read the transcript!

Leah Lockhart is more than her astrology. She’ll search the world to prove it.

Leah Lockhart is proudly science-minded and woo-woo averse. But the life she’s carefully curated is knocked suddenly off course, first by a destabilizing case of vertigo, and then by an astrology reading that claims she’s living way out of line with what was written in her stars.

Incensed, Leah sets off on a mission to prove that astrology is bogus by comparing her life to that of her Star Twins around the world—people born under her exact same map of the stars. But her even deeper guides on a whirlwind journey through Venice, Istanbul, New Orleans, and beyond turn out to be three people already in her orbit: the mother she thinks abandoned her, the father she thinks saved her, and the former boy next door whose love could be the path to her truest self.

Jessie Rosen is a writer who got her start with the award-winning blog 20-Nothings. She has sold original television projects to ABC, CBS, Warner Bros., and Netflix, and her live storytelling show Sunday Night Sex Talks was featured on The Bachelorette. She is the author of The Heirloom, and lives in Los Angeles.

SHOW NOTES:
All the Signs
The Heirloom

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Library Reads

The Circ Desk recommends:Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Two Lives of Lydia Bird: a Novel by Josie Silver
Miranda in Retrograde by Lauren Layne
Half-Blown Rose by Leesa Cross-Smith

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In this episode, Steve chats with Bobbi Newman, editor of Well-Being in the Library Workplace: A Handbook for Managers, about her path to librarianship, the importance of fostering a wellbeing-centric culture in libraries, and topics including vocational awe, emotional and invisible labor, the key role of communication, recognition and appreciation, addressing loneliness, fostering trust and connection, and tackling burnout and moral injury.

Read the transcript!

From this essential guide, managers will learn concrete steps for creating and maintaining a supportive, productive work environment that supports well-being among library staff.Fostering well-being in today’s library workplaces is no longer a luxury but a necessity, particularly for managers tasked with guiding and supporting their teams. Amidst budget cuts, attempts to ban or restrict books, attacks on library staff online and in-person, and potentially hostile and aggressive patrons, taking care of ourselves and our staff by putting good policies and practices into place is more important than ever. In this book, Newman and her expert contributors will lead you through creating an environment that nurtures the health, satisfaction, and well-being of its workers and helps prevent or reduce the internal factors that create an unhealthy workplace. You will receive actionable advice on

navigating the pitfalls of vocational awe, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and self-neglect;
setting and recalibrating healthy boundaries;
approaching difficult conversations by creating spaces for positive staff communication;
overcoming limited budgets;
the proper mindset for encouraging realistic performance expectations among employees;
using recognition, appreciation, and staff professional development as tools for wellness;
nurturing social connections and collaboration to combat loneliness;
effective techniques for addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, confronting anti-fat bias, and moral injury;
emotional and invisible labor mitigation; and
self-care methods for library leaders at risk of burnout.

Bobbi L. Newman (she/her) is a librarian, Certified Wellness Practitioner, and workplace well-being expert dedicated to helping libraries create environments where individuals feel empowered, supported, and free to bring their best selves to work. Bobbi specializes in evidence-based strategies to cultivate psychologically safe workplaces that foster trust, collaboration, and open communication. As a consultant, speaker, instructor, coach, and well-being advocate, her comprehensive approach includes workshops, keynote presentations, strategic consulting, and coaching to help organizations establish sustainable practices that reduce burnout, increase engagement, and ensure team members feel genuinely valued. She also writes about workplace well-being on her blog, Librarian by Day, and is a sought-after speaker at state, national, and international conferences.

SHOW NOTES:

Well-Being in the Library Workplace: A Handbook for ManagersLibrarian By Day

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Steve chats with Terry Baxter and Libby Coyner-Tsosie, authors of Stories on Skin: A Librarian’s Guide to Tattoos as Personal Archives, about the cultural and historical significance of tattoos, how body art intersects with themes like gender, queerness, and community memory, and broader topics related to archival practices, community engagement, and the evolving nature of libraries and archives in preserving diverse lived experiences.

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Tattoos are not merely decorative; they contain deep meaning for individuals and communities. They document their wearers’ personal histories and position in families or society, and they engage with a communal understanding of symbols.

This unique book makes the case that archivists who want to preserve as full a human story as possible must recognize the rich documentation provided by tattoos. It also argues, in a broader sense, that traditional archives are not representative of the ways human beings transmit information through time and that they must be augmented by other types of storytelling to provide a more complete record of our species.

Authors Baxter and Coyner touch on timely topics such as historical narratives, storytelling, cultural traditions, the body as a text, social control, and memorialization by considering tattoos as a personal and community archive. Discussing tattoos as a storytelling tool, the authors also challenge how history is kept and who gets included. Stories on Skin is committed to the rights of communities to tell their stories in their own way and to the power that right brings.

Terry Baxter (he/him) has been an archivist for almost 40 years, the last 25 with the Multnomah County (OR) Archives, USA. He helped establish the County Archives in 2001 and continues seeking ways to use it to assist information seekers of all sorts. Baxter is a member of and has served in a variety of leadership positions in Northwest Archivists; Society of American Archivists; Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums; Archives Leadership Institute; and The Academy of Certified Archivists.

Libby Coyner-Tsosie (she/they) is the University Archivist at UMass Amherst in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, USA, where she primarily cares for collections related to the history of the university. She was trained in archival studies and library science at the University of British Columbia and is a member of the 2016 cohort of the Archives Leadership Institute. She is a cancer survivor whose life has been reshaped by disability. Libby lives with her partner Shepherd and their five cats.

SHOW NOTES:

Stories on Skin: A Librarian’s Guide to Tattoos as Personal Archives

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Steve chats with Jason Tyrrell, Executive Vice President, Content at OverDrive, about Jason’s personal experiences with libraries, his journey to Kanopy and then to Overdrive, the impact of streaming services on libraries, and future applications of AI to enhance library services while ensuring data privacy.

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Jason Tyrrell is the executive vice president of content at OverDrive, the leading digital media distributor for libraries, schools, and corporations. He oversees the growth and development of its platforms: Kanopy, Libby, and Sora. With over 15 years of experience in film and TV marketing and distribution, he plays a key role in expanding OverDrive’s presence while championing accessibility for partners and communities globally.

SHOW NOTES:

OverDrive
Kanopy

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Steve chats with C. J. Box, author of BATTLE MOUNTAIN, the 25th novel in the Joe Pickett series, about how the story picks up from the previous book in the series, Nate Romanowski’s journey of revenge, how the story mirrors real-world suspicions about the government, and what’s next for the Joe Pickett series. And stick around for The Circ Desk, where Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and NoveList librarian Yaika Sabat provide readers’ advisory suggestions for fans of C.J. Box, highlighting similar authors and series.

Read the transcript!

The campaign of destruction that Axel Soledad and Dallas Cates wreaked on Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett left both men in tatters, especially Nate, who lost almost everything. Wondering if the civilized life left him vulnerable to attack, Nate dropped off the grid with his falcons in tow to prepare for vengeance.

When Joe gets a call from the governor asking for help finding his son-in-law, who has gone missing in the Sierra Madre mountain range, he enlists the help of a local, a rookie game warden named Susan Kany.

As Nate and fellow falconer Geronimo Jones circle closer to their prey, Joe and Susan follow the nearly cold trail to Warm Springs. Little do Nate and Joe know that their separate journeys are about to converge . . . at Battle Mountain.

C. J. Box is the author of twenty-five Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has been executive producer on television series based on his books, including ABC TV’s Big Sky and Joe Pickett on Paramount+.

SHOW NOTES:

Battle Mountain

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Steve chats with Lindsay Cronk and Maria McCauley, the 2025 candidates for President of the American Library Association, about how they got started in librarianship, their visions of leadership, why they wanted to run for ALA President, digital equity and advocacy, and who inspires them.

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Lindsay Cronk currently serves as a member of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. She’s a member of the Core Five-Year Fundraising Team and served as 2021–2022 president of Core. She led the Core Communications Working Group and has also served on ALA Council, coauthoring ALA’s Resolution to Condemn White Supremacy and Fascism as Antithetical to Library Work. Before that, she served on the board of the Library Information Technology Association and edited its popular LITA Blog. She is the first woman to serve as dean of libraries at Tulane University.

Cronk is 2024–2025 vice chair of the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) Advocacy and Public Policy Committee. She also serves on the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries board, Clarivate North American advisory group, and editorial board of The Serials Librarian journal. She is cocreator and founder of PeMento: Peer Mentoring for Mid-Career Library Workers. Her past keynotes have covered a variety of topics, from leadership to team building to systems migrations, while her research has focused on scholarly communication.

Cronk holds an MLIS from Valdosta (Ga.) State University, an education specialist degree from Georgia Southern University in Savannah, and a bachelor’s from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be nominated for ALA president—thank you for this opportunity. Libraries are a collective superpower for learning, research, and discovery. We empower individuals and strengthen communities. The American Library Association champions and advances this vital work, offering all library professionals a shared home, a united voice, a thriving community of practice, and a values-driven foundation of policy. We have deep strengths and spectacular talent, and I am the loud librarian ready to amplify and advocate it,” Cronk said. “With a proven record of building teams and coalitions—within ALA and beyond—I am prepared to guide the Association through this pivotal moment of challenges and opportunities. Libraries are indispensable—not only providing resources but also fostering curiosity and inspiring a love of knowledge. When libraries lead, communities succeed.”

Maria McCauley, who was an ALA Spectrum Scholar, is a current member of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures; the Public Library Association (PLA); and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). She is also a member of the Rainbow Round Table, Sustainability Round Table, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, and the International Relations Round Table. She is also a member of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Chinese American Librarians Association, BCALA, Reforma: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, the American Indian Library Association; the Freedom to Read Foundation; the Massachusetts Library Association; and New England Library Association.

McCauley has held several leadership positions, including at-large councilor of ALA Council, ALA Executive Board member, and member of ALA’s Fiscal and Audit Committee. She was the 2022–2023 PLA president and a PLA board member.

McCauley holds a PhD in managerial leadership in the information professions from Simmons University in Boston; an MLIS from University of Pittsburgh; a bachelor’s in theater from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio; and a leadership certificate from Northeastern University in Boston. She also completed ARL’s Library Leadership for New Managers Program.

“It is an honor to stand for the 2026–2027 ALA presidential election. ALA is a vital organization that is a lifeline for so many in the areas of professional development, advocacy, and connection. This includes me, from being a Spectrum Scholar, working in academic libraries, and serving for the past 13 years as a public library director, former ALA Executive Board member, and Public Library Association president,” McCauley said. “I am excited to bring my executive leadership and governance experience, knowledge, and passion for libraries to the presidential role. With my inclusive leadership practices and facilitation skills, I will work across the Association to strengthen ALA, inspire, guide, and connect members, and advocate for intellectual freedom, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and the public good of libraries.”

SHOW NOTES:

Cronk the Vote
Maria for Libraries

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Steve chats with Allen Eskens, author of The Quiet Librarian, about Eskens’ personal experiences with libraries, his journey into becoming an author, a deep dive into the inspiration and research behind his new novel, the Bosnian War, and Eskens’ writing process. Plus, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList return to The Circ Desk to offer insightful read-alikes for The Quiet Librarian!

Read the transcript!

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.

Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.

Allen Eskens is the USA Today bestselling author of The Life We Bury, which has been published in twenty-six languages, and eight other novels, most recently Saving Emma, Forsaken Country,The Stolen Hours, The Shadows We Hide, and Nothing More Dangerous. His books have won the Barry Award, the Rosebud Award, the Silver Falchion Award, and the Minnesota Book Award. Eskens is a former criminal defense attorney and lives with his wife, Joely, in greater Minnesota.

SHOW NOTES:

The Quiet Librarian

THE CIRC DESK RECOMMENDS:

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan

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Steve chats with Stacy Brown, Director of Innovation and Professional Learning at The Davis Academy and author of Revolutionize Youth Book Clubs, about her extensive experience overseeing library and technology programs, how and why she established numerous book clubs for students, parents, and faculty, and her advice on creating successful book clubs, including how to engage reluctant readers.

Read the transcript!

Learn to facilitate modern book clubs devoted to elevating the reading experience through active engagement, resulting in long-term commitment to book club events.

How do you get the kids in your library to read? The benefits of reading are plentiful, especially for youth – it improves vocabulary, helps them become more empathetic and inclusive, and expands exposure to academic opportunities. In an age of digital distractions, book clubs can be a catalyst for encouraging youth to prioritize reading.

These tried and tested strategies help even reluctant readers develop a love of reading through book club participation. Author Stacy Brown, who has facilitated book clubs for more than twenty years, shows you how to build active engagement through hands-on activities, reflective discussions, and theme-related tips and tricks, even in the face of time and budget constraints. Learn how to attract participants, brand and market your book clubs, and keep attendees returning for more. You’ll be changing the world – one book club at a time.

Stacy Brown is the Director of Innovation and Professional Learning at The Davis Academy in Atlanta, GA, USA, where she previously worked as the 21st-Century Learning Coordinator.

SHOW NOTES:

Revolutionize Youth Book Clubs: Strategies for Meaningful and Fun Reading Experiences
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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with guests Elizabeth Kamper, Gail Porter, and Hunter Dunlap about the ongoing challenges faced by higher education in Illinois due to decades of underfunding, including the devastating impact on librarian positions, particularly at Western Illinois University, which recently eliminated all its faculty librarian roles.

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Elizabeth Kamper has been teaching information literacy in libraries for 10 years and received their MSLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They are currently the Information Literacy Librarian and an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Elizabeth also teaches in the University Honors Program on ‘Questions and the Spirit of Inquiry’ and ‘the Nature of Liberal Education’. Elizabeth has served on several university and national committees focusing on information literacy in university curriculum and held faculty fellowships supporting the campus freshman experience. Their research interests include criticality in information literacy, LGBTQIA+ librarians, wonder-led inquiry for research and writing, as well as using tabletop gaming to roleplay empathy in the classroom.

Gayle Porter holds the rank of Assistant Professor in the Gwendolyn Brooks Library at Chicago State University. She earned a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Brigham Young University and a Master’s degree in History from Chicago State University. As an academic librarian, her specialty is cataloging materials in all formats. Her research interests include cataloging and metadata description.

Hunter Dunlap is a tenured professor and systems librarian at Western Illinois University, where he serves as the Coordinator of Resource Management Services. Dunlap has written widely about technology and academic libraries over his 28-year career, including authoring the widely held book “Open Source Database Driven Web Development” (Chandos). The senior member of the (all) nine librarian faculty eliminated at Western (effective May 2025), he created the savewiulibrarians.org website to help mobilize support for academic librarianship at WIU, and beyond.

SHOW NOTES:

Save WIU Librarians
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Steve chats with Billey Albina, Elizabeth Nelson, and Rebecca Uhl, editors of Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches about their journeys into librarianship, the importance of inclusive cataloging, and how to implement inclusive practices even in small libraries.

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Filling a gap in the literature, this volume provides librarians and catalogers with practical approaches to reparative cataloging as well as a broader understanding of the topic and its place in the technical services landscape.As part of the profession’s ongoing EDISJ efforts to redress librarianship’s problematic past, practitioners from across the field are questioning long-held library authorities and standards. They’re undertaking a critical and rigorous re-examination of so-called “best” practices and the decisionmakers behind them, pointing out heretofore unscrutinized injustices within our library systems of organization and making concrete steps towards progressive change. This collection from Core details the efforts of some of the many librarians who are working to improve our systems and collections, in the process inspiring those who have yet to enact change by demonstrating that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary. From this book, readers will

gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning for the actions that create our history and be challenged to reconsider their perspectives;
learn about the important role of the library catalog in real-world EDISJ initiatives through examples ranging from accessibility metadata and gendered information to inclusive comics cataloging and revising LC call numbers for Black people and Indigenous people;
discover more than a dozen case studies drawn from a variety of contexts including archives, academic and public libraries, and research institutions; and
see ways to incorporate these ideas into their own work, with a variety of sample policies, “how to” documents, and other helpful tools provided in the text.

Billey Albina (née Amber Billey) served as the Chair of the Leadership Team for the Core Metadata & Collection Section and Co-Chair of the Core Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the PCC Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and was Chair of the PCC Ad Hoc Task Group on Gender in Name Authority Records. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Digital Transgender Archive, and the editorial board for the Homosaurus – a linked data thesaurus for the LGBTQ+ community. Previously, she was the Associate Director for Bibliographic Services at Bard College.

Elizabeth Nelson is the Cataloging and Collection Development Librarian and Library Department Chair at McHenry County College, where she has worked since 2008. Prior to working in academic libraries, she started her career in public libraries and then spent seven years in special libraries. She is also the current editor of Library Leadership & Management.

Rebecca Uhl has over 30 years’ experience as a catalog and authority control librarian at Arizona State University. Currently serving as the Principal on the Acquisitions and Metadata Services team, she has experience as a manager, supervisor and department head, in addition to copy and original cataloging in all formats.

SHOW NOTES:

Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches
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Steve chats with Eliza Evans, author of The Christmas Cookie Wars, about Evans’s experiences with libraries, her inspiration for the book, the influence of her journalism background on her writing, and her process of getting into the Christmas spirit during non-holiday seasons. And Rebecca and Yaika return to The Circ Desk with recommendations for similar holiday-themed reads!

Read the transcript!

Eliza Evans pens heartwarming holiday rom-coms. When not writing, Evans can be found teaching Pilates or exploring the great outdoors. A lifelong Colorado girl, Evans lives with her husband, two sons, and two fur babies. She is also the author of The Christmas Café.

SHOW NOTES:

The Christmas Cookie Wars
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Steve chats with Sandra Hirsh, editor of Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries, about her journey into the field of librarianship, insights into the critical role libraries will play in the coming years, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and why she retains an optimistic outlook on libraries despite the challenges they face.

Read the transcript!

Building on the success and impact of Library 2020: Today’s Leading Visionaries Describe Tomorrow’s Library by Joseph Janes, Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries updates, expands upon, and broadens the discussions on the future of libraries and the ways in which they transform information services to best serve their communities.Library 2035 explores the lessons learned over the past decade and forecasts the opportunities, strengths, and challenges for libraries in the future. Contributors including R. David Lankes, Kelvin Watson, Annie Norman, Miguel Figueroa, and Nicole Cooke, along with 25 other library leaders, were asked to describe the “library of 2035” in whatever way they wanted. Their responses to this question will inspire, provoke, challenge, and expand our thinking about the role and importance of libraries in the future. Library leaders, LIS students and faculty will find this book particularly meaningful and useful as we grapple with what the future of libraries and the profession will be.

Sandra Hirsh is associate dean for academics in the College of Information, Data and Society at San José State University. Before this, she served as professor and director of the SJSU School of Information and worked at HP Labs, Microsoft, and LinkedIn. She actively contributes to library and information science professional associations and has previously served as president of two international associations: the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) and the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T). She holds a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from UCLA and an MLIS degree from the University of Michigan. She is a second-generation librarian and she is passionate about the important role that libraries play in our society.

SHOW NOTES:

Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries
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Steve chats with Melissa A. Wong and Laura Saunders, authors of Reference and Information Services: An Introduction, about their paths to librarianship, how they approached writing and editing a textbook, the evolving role of reference librarians in the face of changing technologies and societal issues, and the practical applications of the book in LIS education, including their own classrooms.

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Written as a textbook for LIS students taking reference courses, this fully updated and revised seventh edition of Reference and Information Services: An Introduction also serves as a helpful handbook for practitioners to refamiliarize themselves with particular types and formats of sources and to refresh their knowledge on specific service topics.

Melissa A. Wong has been an online instructor for the University of Illinois since 2001, teaching courses in reference, instruction, management, and academic librarianship. Previously, she worked as an academic librarian for 14 years, including 6 years at the University of Southern California and 8 years as library director at Marymount College Palos Verdes. She earned her master’s degree in library science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Laura Saunders is associate professor at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, teaching in the areas of reference, instruction, and academic libraries. Prior to earning her PhD, she worked as an academic reference librarian and in circulation at a public library. She earned her master’s of library and information science and her PhD at Simmons University.

SHOW NOTES:

Reference and Information Services: An Introduction
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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Nora Wiltse, school librarian at Chicago Public Schools, about the current state of librarians in Chicago Public Schools, the impactful role that librarians play in education, her involvement with the Chicago Teachers Union’s efforts in advocating for better resources and support for schools, including through collective bargaining, and CTU’s broader social justice initiatives.

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Nora Wiltse has been a school librarian with Chicago Public Schools since 2003. After 20 years in K to 8th grade elementary schools, she now works at King College Prep High School in the Kenwood neighborhood. Since 2012, Nora has advocated against the rapid loss of librarians in the Chicago Public Schools district. She is the chair of the Chicago Teachers Union Librarian Committee and a member of the 2024 contract bargaining team. Nora hopes to gain more job security for all librarians, as well as more librarian positions, in the next union contract. You can email her at norawiltse@gmail.com. You can follow CTU’s Librarian Committee on Instagram or X @ctulibrarians.

Troy A. Swanson is Teaching & Learning Librarian and Library Department Chair at Moraine Valley Community College. Troy is the author or editor of several books and articles including his book Knowledge as a Feeling: How Neuroscience and Psychology Impact Human Information Behavior was published by Rowman & Littlefield. His Ph.D. research focused on the management of technology policy in higher education. He served on ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Task Force which issued the Framework for Information Literacy in 2016. Over his tenure as a librarian and educator, Troy has won his campus’ Master Teacher and Innovation of the Year awards, as well as the Proquest Innovation in College Librarianship award from ACRL. Additionally, he serves as Legislative Chair for Cook County College Teachers Union which serves 5,000 community college employees.

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Steve chats with Madeline Martin, author of The Booklover’s Library, about the inspiration and research behind her latest novel, set in a unique library during World War II, and the emotional ties between the characters and books. Later, Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from Novelist return to the Circ Desk to recommend read-alikes for book-themed novels, highlighting the enduring appeal of stories about books and libraries.

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Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA TODAY, and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages.

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The Booklover’s LibraryLibrary Reads
Novelist
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Steve chats with Amanda Jones, school librarian and author of That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America, about her path to librarianship, her harrowing experience after speaking out against censorship at a public library board meeting and the aftermath, and her determination to stand up for what’s right.

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Amanda Jones has been an educator for 22 years and is the President of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians. She was the 2021 School Library Journal Co-Librarian of the Year, 2021 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year. Amanda is a sought-after keynote speaker at national and international conferences. Amanda co-founded the Livingston Parish Library Alliance to defeat censorship attempts in her community and is a founding member of the Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, which fights against censorship efforts across the state. She lives in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.

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That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America
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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Wayne Bivens-Tatum, author of Libraries and the Enlightenment and Virtue Information Literacy, about the concept of “information anarchy,” the relevance of cultivating intellectual virtues like open-mindedness, intellectual humility, and epistemic justice to thrive in today’s complex information landscape, and integrating virtue ethics and Buddhist mindfulness practices to improve information literacy and ultimately achieve a well-lived life.

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Wayne Bivens-Tatum is the Librarian for Philosophy, Religion, and Anthropology at the Princeton University Library. He has taught academic writing at the University of Illinois and Princeton University and courses on librarianship for the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences and Rutgers University’s Department of Library and Information Science. He currently teaches college English classes to incarcerated students in New Jersey state prisons as a volunteer with Princeton’s Prison Teaching Initiative. He’s published two books, Libraries and the Enlightenment and Virtue Information Literacy, both with Library Juice Press.

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Libraries and the EnlightenmentVirtue Information Literacy
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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Brian Freeman, author of THE BOURNE SHADOW and four previous Bourne novels, about his early experiences with libraries, the impact of Ludlum’s work on his work, and how he aims to modernize Jason Bourne while staying true to the original character. And in our final visit (for now!) to The Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika chat about Freeman’s work, page-to-screen adaptations, and cinematic novels!

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It’s been over a decade since Nash Rollins recruited a brilliant, talented, but disaffected young man named David Webb to join Treadstone. Webb became the agent known as Cain–and later took on the identity of Jason Bourne.

That violent winter–which included Cain’s first mission for Treadstone–was also a story of betrayal in ways that David never knew. So after the injury that erased Bourne’s whole life, Nash lied about the circumstances of David’s recruitment to Treadstone. He was afraid that learning the truth might drive Bourne out of the agency forever.

But now, when Bourne meets a woman who recognizes him as David Webb, the secrets of those days begin to come out and Bourne is forced to confront the dangerous ghosts of a past he doesn’t even remember.

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with librarian Eva Jurczyk, author of That Night in the Library, about her unique journey from a bibliographer’s kid to a renowned author, the inspiration behind her gripping mystery novels, and the intersection of librarianship and fiction writing. Over on The Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika discuss dark academia, locked room mysteries, and their read-alikes for That Night in the Library!

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Eva Jurczyk was born in a mining town in Poland and wound up halfway around the world in a Canadian city that often masquerades as New York in the movies. As her day job, she buys books, building library collections for the University of Toronto Libraries. She travels to Paris whenever the wind is good but currently lives with her husband, son, and collections of books in Toronto, Canada.

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Gwenda Bond about her career journey, her fascination with heist stories, her experiences with licensed content, including writing for Lois Lane and Stranger Things, her approach to magic in storytelling, and the vibrant writing community she’s fostering in Lexington, Kentucky. And on The Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika find interesting read-alikes for the Frame-Up and discuss new exciting new subgenre of romantasy!

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Gwenda Bond is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the first official Stranger Things novel, Suspicious Minds, as well as the Match Made in Hell, Lois Lane, and Cirque American series. She lives in a hundred-year-old house in Lexington, Kentucky, with a veritable zoo of adorable doggos and queenly cats. She writes a regular newsletter, Dear Reader, available on Substack.

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Andy Runton, creator of the graphic novel series Owly, about how libraries influenced his work and life, the origins of Owly, the process of converting the series from black and white to color, and advice for educators and librarians on how to use Owly in their teaching. And on The Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika discuss graphic novels and why Library Reads solely focuses on titles for adults.

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Andy Runton has always loved to draw and always loved comics. After college and a career in corporate America, he finally followed his heart, started drawing comics, graphic novels, and children’s books, and he hasn’t looked back since. In 2001 he created the all-ages series of graphic novels, Owly, which features a kind-hearted little owl who’s always searching for new friends and adventure. The Owly series has earned praise from fans and critics alike, winning multiple awards including the Harvey Award, two Ignatz Awards, the 2006 Eisner Award for “Best Publication for a Younger Audience,” and many others. He currently reside in the greater-Atlanta area where he works full-time as a cartoonist!

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Owly: Tiny TalesSubscribe to the Circulating Ideas newsletter for more!

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Jessie Rosen, author of the new book, The Heirloom, about the profound impact libraries have had on her life, the inspiration behind her novel, and how her personal experiences and superstitions shaped her writing. At the Circ Desk Rebecca and Yaika discuss how “women’s fiction” has morphed from “chick lit” to “relationship fiction.”

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Jessie Rosen got her start with the award-winning blog 20-Nothings and has sold original television projects to ABC, CBS, Warner Bros., and Netflix. Her live storytelling show Sunday Night Sex Talks was featured on The Bachelorette. She lives in Los Angeles.

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Constitutionally, about his fascinating, immersive journey of living strictly by the U. S. Constitution, delve into the contrasts between originalism and living constitutionalism, and provides insightful commentary on how the founding document shapes modern-day America. And on The Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika talk about the readers’ advisory challenges for non-fiction titles!

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A.J. Jacobs is a journalist, lecturer, and human guinea pig who has written four bestselling books—including Drop Dead Healthy and The Year of Living Biblically—that blend memoir, science, humor, and a dash of self-help. A contributor to NPR, The New York Times, and Esquire, among other media outlets, Jacobs lives in New York City with his family.

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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Kirsten Miller, author of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, about her deep love for libraries, the real-life banned books that inspired her book, and how she tackled book banning, censorship, and the power of literature, all while retaining a humorous and engaging tone. Stick around for another edition of The Circ Desk with Rebecca and Yaika as they discuss different types of satire, “books about books”, and give their read-alikes from Library Reads and NoveList!

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Kirsten Miller is the author of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books and The Change, a GMA Book Club pick, as well as the groundbreaking YA series starring Kiki Strike. Born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Amita Murray, author of Unladylike Rules of Attraction, the second novel in her Marleigh Sisters series, about her experiences with libraries, the inspiration behind her writing, and why incorporating diverse elements into her Regency romances is so crucial. At the Circ Desk, Rebecca and Yaika talk about Regency romances and give their reading recommendations from Library Reads and NoveList!

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Amita Murray lives in London and can be found writing and tweeting about life and chocolate. Her novels take you on a romp through the edgier streets of Regency England. Her Arya Winters mysteries are under a TV option. Her mystery novel Thirteenth Night won the Exeter Novel Prize and her short story “A Heist in Three Acts” appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. She’s been writer-in-residence with the British Council, Spread the Word, Leverhulme, and Literature Works, and she is committed to finding that magic button that creates more diversity in publishing.

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Unladylike Rules of Attraction
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As part of the Summer Reading Spectacular, Steve chats with Cory Doctorow, author of The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, about the concept of enshittification, Cory’s creative process and prolific writing during the lockdown, his strategies for managing information intake, and much more. And stay tuned for the debut of The Circ Desk featuring Rebecca Vnuk from Library Reads and Yaika Sabat from NoveList, who discuss cyber- and techno-thrillers, and read-alikes for The Bezzle!

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Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently THE BEZZLE (a followup to RED TEAM BLUES) and THE LOST CAUSE, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is THE INTERNET CON: HOW TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF COMPUTATION, a Big Tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include RED TEAM BLUES, a science fiction crime thriller; CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; the LITTLE BROTHER series for young adults; IN REAL LIFE, a graphic novel; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

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The Bezzle [bookshop.org affiliate link]
Circulating Ideas 28: Cory Doctorow
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Steve chats with Audrey Barbakoff and Noah Lenstra, authors of The 12 Steps to a Community-Led Library, about the motivations behind writing the book, the principles of community-led library work, emphasizing equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice, and practical advice for librarians interested in adopting this model.

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Audrey Barbakoff is the CEO of Co/lab Capacity LLC, which provides community-centered consulting for libraries and social good organizations. During more than a decade in public libraries, her work was recognized by Library Journal Movers & Shakers, the Urban Libraries Council Top Innovators, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. Dr. Barbakoff holds an MLIS from the University of Washington and an EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California. She is co-author of The 12 Steps to a Community-Led Library, and author of Adults Just Wanna Have Fun: Programs for Emerging Adults and the forthcoming picture book The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon.

Noah Lenstra is an associate professor of library and information science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he brings a community organizing approach to the teaching and research of public librarianship. Since 2016, Dr. Lenstra has managed the Let’s Move in Libraries initiative, an online space for sharing stories and resources related to public library participation in community health initiatives related to food or physical activity. Dr. Lenstra holds doctoral and master’s degrees in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

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12 Steps to a Community-Led Library [affiliate link]

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Steve chats with Tom Bober and Rebecca Newland, authors of Literature and Primary Sources: The Perfect Pairing for Student Learning, about their time working at the Library of Congress, why primary sources are important, how librarians and teachers can better collaborate, and how today’s digital media will become tomorrow’s shoeboxes full of photos.

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Tom Bober is an elementary librarian in Clayton, Missouri, USA; a former teacher in residence at the Library of Congress, a member of the Teachers Advisory Board at the National Portrait Gallery, and a 2018 Library Journal Mover and Shaker.

Rebecca Newland is a high school librarian in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. She is a former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress where she specialized in creating resources for teachers to bring primary sources into the English Language Arts classroom and libraries. She contributes regularly to the blog of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress is the author of Engaging Students with Library of Congress Primary Sources in the ELA Classroom with NCTE and the Library of Congress.

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Literature and Primary Sources: The Perfect Pairing for Student Learning [affiliate link]

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Steve chats with Max Brallier, author of The Last Comics on Earth: Too Many Villains, the second book in the Last Comics graphic novel series spun off from his bestselling Last Kids on Earth series. They chat about balancing an apocalyptic background with a light-hearted tone, the differences between the Last Kids and Last Comics series, which jokes may’ve been 4am jokes that slipped through editorial, and much more!

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During a quick pause from defeating monsters, Jack, June, Quint, and Dirk face their trickiest challenge in THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH: TOO MANY VILLAINS!, the second graphic novel in the best-selling spin-off starring the beloved heroes, monsters, and side-kicks from THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH series.

Set on creating an epic follow-up to their Z-Man: Defender of Apocalyptia spin-off graphic novel, Jack, June, Quint, and Dirk plan an action-packed story featuring tougher villains, puzzles, and more in THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH: TOO MANY VILLAINS! Their superhero alter-egos discover that supervillains will do whatever it takes to stop the even more mysterious evil boss from carrying out the biggest evil plan ever and destroying the world, featuring monsters our heroes have battled in the pages of THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH.

THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH: TOO MANY VILLAINS! is the second story in a four-book spin-off series features original content in Max Brallier’s signature witty storytelling style along with Emmy-Award-winning writer, Joshua Pruett. Full-color illustrations by Jay Cooper and Douglas Holgate share bright and engaging scenes that’ll bring readers into the middle of the action. Leaping into new territory, younger and newer fans, as well as existing fans can enjoy new adventures within the apocalyptic world of THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH.

THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH novels continue to bring monsters into the lexicon with over 10 million copies in print worldwide, toys, video games, an Emmy-award-winning animated Netflix series, and a graphic novel spin-off series in THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH.

Max Brallier is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His books and series include The Last Kids on Earth, Eerie Elementary, Mister Shivers, Galactic Hot Dogs, and Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? He is a writer and producer for Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning adaptation of The Last Kids on Earth. Visit him at MaxBrallier.com.

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THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH: TOO MANY VILLAINS! [affiliate link]

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Steve chats with Sylvie Golod and Thomas Maluck from Richland Library about why financial literacy is an important topic for libraries to cover, the programs and services Richland offers in its Business, Careers, and Resources Center, how to make the subject appealing to teens and adults, and the importance of community partners. Plus, a Secret Stacks recommendation from Thomas!

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Sylvie Golod is a Career Services Specialist for Richland Library Business and Careers Center. Since 2011, she has worked with an impressive team who were recipients of the 2022 National Career Development Association Exemplary Career Center Award. She is a Certified Master of Career Services, Professional Résumé Writer, and Entrepreneurship Teacher. She has presented at conference for the National Career Development Association (NCDA), SC Career Development (SCCDA) and American Library Association (ALA), educational institutions, businesses, agencies and community organizations. On the state level, Sylvie was the 2018 Founding President of SCCDA, a division of the NCDA and recipient of the NCDA 2019 Outstanding Emerging State Division Award. She continues to serve as Emeritus and Communications Chair.

Thomas Maluck is a Teen Services Librarian for Richland Library and adjunct LIS instructor for The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has worked in public libraries, including youth services and readers advisory, for over fifteen years. He was the 2019 recipient of the F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of South Carolina. He co-presented the keynote address with Kristin LaLonde at the Quebec Library Association about graphic novel collections and their impact on readers. He has been a panelist and moderator at American Library Association, South Carolina Library Association, New York Comic Con, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Dragon Con, and C2E2 conferences. He has served on YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels For Teens book selection committee as well as School Library Journal’s Best Graphic Novels team. He reviews for Kirkus and uses his Accredited Personal Finance Instructor ℠ credential to provide financial education.

SHOW NOTES:

Richland Library Business, Careers and Research Center
National Financial Educators Council
Operation HOPE
Project: NAS (Not A Statistic)
US Small Business Administration
Clark Howard
Next Gen Personal Finance
SC Student Loan
Libraries Build Business Playbook [PDF]
Morningstar Investment Research Center
LinkedIn Learning
Portfolio Visualizer (suggested alternative for X-Ray Tool)

Steve recommends:iTunes Terms of Service: the Graphic Novel by R. Sikoryak

Sylvie recommends:The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelley [affiliate link]

Thomas recommends (bonus Secret Stacks* pick!):How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance by Jean Chatzky, Kathryn Tuggle, and Nina Cosford [affiliate link]
The Index Card* by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack [affiliate link]

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Steve chats with Elizabeth A. Wahler and Sarah C. Johnson, authors of the book, Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons, about how they came to work with libraries, what a person-centered approach to library work looks like, why it’s important for both library staff and administration to buy in to the approach, and what future trends they see in this area.

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Elizabeth A. Wahler is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA, and founder of Beth Wahler Consulting. She has collaborated with libraries and library systems across the United States to conduct assessments of their patrons’ psychosocial needs and staff challenges with these types of patron needs; provided training to library staff about trauma-informed librarianship and other approaches to addressing their patrons’ needs; and created and piloted various interventions to address patron needs and support library staff. She is recognized internationally for her work on library and social work collaborations.

Sarah C. Johnson, MLIS, LMSW, is adjunct lecturer at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois, where she teaches a course on library social work. She is a licensed social worker, and her research focuses on the impact of social work students conducting their field placements at public libraries. Her aim is to foster quality internships by building alliances among students, public librarians, and social work educators, with the goal of enhancing services to library patrons and their wider community.

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Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons

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Steve chats with Sam Helmick and Ray Pun, the 2024 candidates for the President of the American Library Association, about why they want the role, how the profession can live up to its diversity goals, how they would help make the organization more attractive to new and prospective members, and whether libraries are (or ever can be) neutral.

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Sam Helmick is the Community & Access Services Coordinator at Iowa City Public Library, immediate Past President of the Iowa Library Association, and the current ILA Government Affairs chair. Helmick is a current member of the ALA Executive Board and previously served as chair-elect on the Freedom to Read Foundation as well as chair of the Iowa Governor’s Commission of Libraries. They have served on committees for the Network of the National Library of Medicine, the Stonewall Book Awards, the ALA Policy Monitoring Committee, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Michael L. Printz Committee, on the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Sophie Brody Award Committee and on the YALSA Fundraising Task Force. Helmick is a 2017 Emerging Leader as well as an author, consultant, and instructor for management, social media marketing, and graphic design.

Dr. Ray Pun (he/him) is an ALA Presidential candidate for 2025-2026. Pun is the academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education, a teacher residency program in California, where he supports graduate students, teachers, and teacher educators. Pun previously worked as librarian at The New York Public Library, New York University Shanghai, Fresno State, and Stanford University. An active member of the American Library Association, Pun is also a member of several library groups such as the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. From 2021-2022, Pun served as President of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and from 2022-2023, Pun served as President of the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). Pun holds an Ed.D. from Fresno State, a Master of Library Science from the City University of New York – Queens College, a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from St. John’s University. Learn more about Dr. Ray Pun at https://www.raypun.info.

SHOW NOTES:

Sam’s campaign site
Ray’s campaign site

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Steve welcomes C. J. Box, author of the new book Three-Inch Teeth, the newest entry in his Joe Pickett series, back to the show. They chat about how Box keeps the series fresh after 24 novels, the world of Joe Pickett, the research Box has done on grizzly bears and falconers, and the return of one of Joe Pickett’s deadliest adversaries.

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Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human—in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.

A rogue grizzly bear has gone on a rampage—killing, among others, the potential fiancé of Joe’s daughter. At the same time, Dallas Cates, who Joe helped lock up years ago, is released from prison with a special list tattooed on his skin. He wants revenge on the people who sent him away: the six people he blames for the deaths of his entire family and the loss of his reputation and property.

Using the grizzly attacks as cover, Cates sets out to methodically check off his list. The problem is, both Nate Romanowski and Joe Pickett are on it.

C. J. Box is the author of twenty-four Joe Pickett novels, eight stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has been executive producer on shows based on his books, including ABC TV’s Big Sky and Joe Pickett on Paramount+.

SHOW NOTES:

Three-Inch Teeth (affiliate link)C. J. Box

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Steve chats with James LaRue, author of the book On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US, about his path to librarianship, the four main reasons people seek to censor books, his biggest challenges when he led the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, how to deal with politically-motivated censorship, and his theory of librarianship.

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James LaRue is the director of the Garfield County (Colorado) Public Library District. Author of “The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges,” (2007) and “On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US,” (2023) LaRue has been a public library director for many years, as well as a weekly newspaper columnist and cable TV host. From January of 2016 to November of 2018, he was director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. He has written, spoken, and consulted extensively on intellectual freedom issues, leadership and organizational development, community engagement, and the future of libraries.

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On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US

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Steve chats with Janette Derucki and Grant Halter from RAILS: Reaching Across Illinois Library System about how they got interested in the library and data science fields, what RAILS does for libraries in Illinois, how they work to gather and present data via dashboards and other methods, statewide initiatives like the SLIDE and SLATE projects,. and lots of deep data nerdery!

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Janette Derucki joined RAILS in January 2022 as part of the SLATE (School Library Advocacy Through Education) Project before transitioning to her current role as Data Research Specialist. She is a second-career librarian, earning a Master of Information degree with a concentration in Data Science from Rutgers University in 2021. The use of data for advocacy and to support advancement in the field of library and information science is one of her many interests, and she endeavors to work with library professionals to make a positive impact.

Grant Halter is the Data Analysis Manager at RAILS and has been there for 4.5 years helping steadily grow the Data Analysis Department. Grant joined RAILS after a short stint at the Oak Park Public Library as their Data Analyst, where he learned the ins and outs of the library world and how data can best impact the industry. His background is in applied mathematics, which he utilizes to uncover useful insights that help guide RAILS staff and members with data. His favorite chart is a scatter plot, and his favorite part of his work is developing formulas to equitably distribute grant funding.

SHOW NOTES:

RAILS

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Guest host Thomas Maluck from the late, lamented Secret Stacks podcast chats with Ashley from Bookish Realm, about reviewing books online, navigating book challenges, how publishing has changed young adult literature, and the positives and negatives of social media.

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Ashley is an avid reader who pretty much has an interest in all types of genres and has recently become a big fan of manga/comics. She runs a blog at BookishRealmReviews also makes YouTube videos – all related to books!

Thomas Maluck is a Teen Services Librarian for Richland Library. He has worked in public libraries, including youth services and readers advisory, for over thirteen years. He was the 2019 recipient of the F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of South Carolina. He co-presented the keynote address with Kristin LaLonde at the Quebec Library Association about graphic novel collections and their impact on readers. He has been a panelist and moderator about graphic novels and library programming at American Library Association, New York Comic Con, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Dragon Con, and C2E2 conferences. He has served on YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels For Teens book selection committee as well as School Library Journal’s Best Graphic Novels team. He currently reviews for Kirkus and contributes to features for No Flying No Tights. He also uses his Accredited Personal Finance Instructor ℠ credential to provide financial education.

Follow Ashley’s reviews:Blog
Goodreads
YouTube
Instagram

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Steve chats with Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, Director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, about her path to librarianship, her experience of joining the Smithsonian, how they support equity, diversity, and inclusion, some favorite hidden gems held by the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, and her plans for the future.

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Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is the director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. The recently integrated Smithsonian Libraries and Archives contains nearly 3 million library volumes and over 44,000 cubic feet of archival materials chronicling the history of the Smithsonian. Evangelestia-Dougherty oversees 137 employees, a national advisory board of 15 members, an annual budget of over $16 million and 22 library branches and reading rooms located in Washington, D.C., New York City, Maryland, Virginia and the Republic of Panama.

Previously, Evangelestia-Dougherty was an associate university librarian at Cornell University where she initiated Cornell RAD, a new research hub for rare and distinctive collections. She is also a faculty member of the UCLA California Rare Book School. As director of collections and services at New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from 2013 to 2014, Evangelestia-Dougherty led collection and programmatic development of five curatorial divisions. At the University of Chicago’s Black Metropolis Research Consortium, she served as executive director from 2011 to 2013 and as consulting archivist from 2007 to 2011. There, she successfully led initiatives to discover and make accessible archives related to the African American diaspora.

In addition to her extensive work with rare and distinctive collections, Evangelestia-Dougherty is a published author and public speaker who has presented nationally on topics of inclusivity and equity in bibliography, administration and primary-source literacy. She currently serves on the boards of Digital Scriptorium and the American Printing History Association.

Evangelestia-Dougherty holds a Master of Science in information science from Simmons University’s School of Library and Information Science in Boston and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston.

SHOW NOTES:

Smithsonian Libraries and ArchivesSign for the Circulating Ideas newsletter for more!

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In June 2021, Steve chatted with Tracie D. Hall, then-Executive Director of the American Library Association, about her path to librarianship, her role as ALA’s Executive Director, what ALA has done and can do for library workers, libraries working for social justice, and accepting ourselves as members of the human race. Hall resigned from the Executive Director position in October 2023.

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Tracie D. Hall was the American Library Association’s 10th executive director in its 143-year history, and the first African American female in the role. She resigned in October 2023. Her work in library and arts administration has been recognized with the National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and by Time magazine. Hall was the 2023 recipient of the medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression by the Franklin D Roosevelt Institute.

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“Executive Director Tracie D. Hall to Depart from the American Library Association”
“No Quiet in the Library”
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Steve chats with Kerri Maher, author of All You Have to Do Is Call, about her personal experiences with libraries, how she researched the Jane Collective, why she decided to feature original characters rather than real, historical people, and how her stories reveal themselves in the writing.

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Kerri Maher is the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller, The Girl in White Gloves, The Kennedy Debutante, and, under the name Kerri Majors, This Is Not a Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer in the Real World. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and lives with her daughter and dog in a leafy suburb west of Boston, Massachusetts.

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Steve chats with Susan D. Ballard and Sara Kelly Johns, authors of Elevating the School Library, about why developing a brand is important for school libraries, how to separate your personal brand from your organizational brand (including who does it right), and why it’s important to do this work proactively.

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What is your school library’s brand? This book will help school librarians improve their practice and strengthen their influence within their learning communities, increasing positive perceptions of school libraries through developing a brand in alignment with the AASL Standards.

Sara Kelly Johns (l.), Susan D. Ballard (r.)A former Director of Library, Media and Technology, Susan D. Ballard guided her district to AASL National School Library of the Year Award recognition. She has served as an adjunct professor and lecturer in various school librarian preparation programs, published numerous articles in professional and scholarly journals and edited and contributed to several books. A Past-President of AASL, the New Hampshire School Library Media Association, and the New England School Library Association, Susan served on the Standards and Guidelines Editorial Board for the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.

Sara Kelly Johns, an online instructor at the Syracuse University iSchool and a long-time school librarian, is a past president of AASL, the New York Library Association (NYLA), and the Section of School Librarians of NYLA. She received the NYLA Lifetime Achievement Award and the first AASL Social Media Superstar Advocacy Ambassador Award. Active in ALA Council and ALA committees, Johns was a member of the Implementation Task Force for the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. She has written articles for several school library publications and contributed chapters for various books.

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Elevating the School Library

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Steve chats with Alyssa Wees, author of Nocturne and The Waking Forest, about her youth services work in libraries, writing Beanie Babies fan fiction, her love of ballet, the appeal of fairy tales and the dark fantasy genre, and why she probably won’t ever write your next beach read.

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Alyssa Wees is the acclaimed author of The Waking Forest and Nocturne. She grew up writing stories about her Beanie Babies in between ballet lessons. She earned a BA in English from Creighton University and an MFA in fiction writing from Columbia College Chicago. Currently she works as an assistant librarian in youth services at an awesome public library. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and their two cats.

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Nocturne

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Steve chats with Emily J. M. Knox, author of Book Banning in 21st Century America and Foundations of Intellectual Freedom, about her path to the library field, understanding the reasons behind book banning and challenges, the fight for public services, and the power of the book.

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Emily Knox is an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access and intellectual freedom and censorship. She is a member of the Mapping Information Access research team.

Her most recent book Foundations of Intellectual Freedom (ALA Neal-Schuman) won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. Her previous book, Book Banning in 21st Century America (Rowman & Littlefield) is the first monograph in the Beta Phi Mu Scholars’ Series. Emily’s articles have been published in the Library Quarterly, Library and Information Science Research, and the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy.

Emily serves on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship. She is also editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy.

Emily received her PhD from the doctoral program at the Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.

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Book Banning in 21st Century America
Foundations of Intellectual Freedom

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Steve chats with Steve Albrecht, author of The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, about how he transitioned from working with law enforcement to libraries, the importance of having a security plan, learning to why assertiveness is the key to maintaining a safe environment, and the culture of cops that librarians need to … Continue reading 245: The Safe Library

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Steve chats with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The First Ladies, about their thoughts on libraries as professional writers, why readers are fascinated by Marie’s and Victoria’s friendship and writing partnership, how the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune developed, and what Marie and Victoria have learned from each other … Continue reading 244: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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Steve chats with Troy Swanson, author of Knowing as a Feeling: How Neuroscience and Psychology Impact Human Information Behavior, about how his research has evolved over the years, how we think our brains process information (and how our brains REALLY process information), how memories and emotions are linked, and what it means to “know” something. … Continue reading 243: Knowing as a Feeling

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Steve chats with PeMento founders Lindsay Cronk, Maurini Strub, Ashley Krenelka Chase, and Rachel Fleming about what the concept of mentoring means to them, how PeMento got started, why they plan to keep PeMento in a perpetual “pilot” state, and what Steve’s new podcast should be called. Read the transcript! Lindsay Cronk is currently Assistant … Continue reading 242: PeMento

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Steve chats with LibraryReads Executive Director Rebecca Vnuk and LibraryReads Advisory Board member Stephanie Chase, about the tenth anniversary of LibraryReads, how it’s changed over its first decade, how it works with publishers, its commitment to diversity, and planning for the future.

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Rebecca Vnuk is the Executive Director of LibraryReads, an organization that works with public library staff and U.S. publishers to promote adult reading. She has an MLIS from Dominican University and worked as a readers’ advisory librarian for a decade, and prior to joining LibraryReads, she was the editor for Collection Management and Library Outreach at Booklist. Rebecca is the author of three reference books on the topic of Women’s Fiction, as well as a best-selling book on weeding library collections.

Stephanie Chase is the Executive Director of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon and Founding Principal of the Constructive Disruption consultancy. Previously, Stephanie was the Director of Libraries for Hillsboro (OR) and was the Director of Library Programs and Services for The Seattle Public Library. Stephanie is the founder of the Green Mountain (VT) Library Consortium, a statewide library consortium providing digital collections and partnership opportunities to 150 member libraries, a founding member and inaugural chair of the LibraryReads Steering Committee, and currently serves on the Public Library Association Board of Directors and the American Library Association ALA Council and was recently elected to serve on the ALA Executive Board.

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LibraryReads

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Steve chats with the editors of Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions: Cultural Humility in Library Work, Sarah R. Kostelecky, Lori Townsend, and David A. Hurley, about what cultural humility is, the importance of self-reflection, mitigating power differentials, and why Venn diagrams are always the answer.

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Sarah R. Kostelecky is the Director of Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communication (DISC) for University of New Mexico Libraries. Her research focuses on outreach efforts to underrepresented communities, diversity in academic libraries and library collections, and Native American language resources. Previously at UNM, Sarah has served as the Education Librarian and Access Services Librarian in the Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP). She earned both her MA in Information Resources and Library Science and BA in Sociology from the University of Arizona. Prior to working at UNM Libraries, Sarah was the Library Director at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM, the premiere educational institution for contemporary Native American arts and cultures. Along with David A. Hurley and Paulita Aguilar, she co-edited “Sharing Knowledge and Smashing Stereotypes: Representing Native American, First Nation, and Indigenous Realities in Library Collections,” a special double issue of the journal Collection Management. Sarah has enjoyed working in a variety of libraries including university, public, tribal college, and museum. She is a member of Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico.

Lori Townsend is the Learning Services Coordinator and Engineering Librarian for the University of New Mexico Libraries. Her research interests include threshold concepts and information literacy, academic librarians of color and cultural humility. Lori holds a BA in history from the University of New Mexico and an MLIS from San Jose State University. Before coming to UNM, she worked as the Electronic Collections Librarian at California State University, East Bay from 2005-2010. She is co-author, along with Amy R. Hofer and Silvia Lin Hanick, of the book Transforming Information Literacy Instruction: Threshold Concepts in Theory and Practice (Libraries Unlimited, 2018); she and Silvia Lin Hanick are Series Editors for the just-launched Libraries Unlimited Series on Teaching Information Literacy Today. Lori is a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley.

David A. Hurley is the Web and Discovery Librarian for the University Libraries. In addition to cultural humility, he writes and presents on search, reference services, and information literacy. He was previously the director of the Diné College libraries on the Navajo Nation, chief of the library development bureau at the New Mexico State Library, and branch and digital services manager for the public library of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. With Sarah R. Kostelecky and Paulita Aguilar, David co-edited “Sharing Knowledge and Smashing Stereotypes: Representing Native American, First Nation, and Indigenous Realities in Library Collections,” a special double issue of the journal Collection Management.

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Hopeful Visions, Practical Actions: Cultural Humility in Library Work

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with CJ Ivory, Angela Pashia, and Mary Ann Cullen about Open Educational Resources, working with faculty and administration in implementing OERs, being mindful of whose voices are being considered in the creation of OERs, and why libraries should (or should not) lead the efforts to create OERs.

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CJ Ivory is an Associate Professor and Librarian at the University of West Georgia, where she teaches Information Literacy & Research. With expertise in open education resources and textbook alternatives, she serves as a Library Champion for Affordable Learning Georgia, a statewide initiative. She has been awarded grants for developing open textbooks in the fields of teacher education and chemistry. Professor Ivory recently published a book with ACRL Press titled “Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice.”

Additionally, she teaches courses helping librarians develop their diversity and inclusion skills through Library Juice Academy. She has been invited to speak on these topics in academic libraries and professional organizations. Professor Ivory’s commitment to providing inclusive and equitable educational resources aligns with her passion for social justice education.

Angela Pashia has over a decade of experience as an academic librarian focusing on teaching critical information literacy, mentoring colleagues, working against structural oppression within libraries, and growing as a collaborative leader. Angela is currently a professor / learning & research support librarian at a regional comprehensive university. Angela is also an academic career and leadership development coach, supporting faculty and librarians in aligning their work with their core values, so that they can focus more on things that bring meaning to their life and less on things that are just chores that drain their energy. Angela teaches several courses at the Library Juice Academy. Learn more at https://angelapashia.com/

Mary Ann Cullen is an associate professor and Associate Department Head at Georgia State University’s Alpharetta Campus. She has been involved in the open and affordable educational resources movement since 2013, when she participated in the adaptation of an OER text for an introductory English composition course. Since then, she has assisted faculty with OER adoption and grants, and presented about librarians’ roles in OER at ACRL, the Distance Library Services Conference, and a Carterette Series webinar. She has been recognized as an Affordable Learning Georgia Featured Advocate and co-edited the Fall 2020 special edition of the academic journal, Library Trends, “OER and the Academic Library,” with Elizabeth Dill, in addition to the ACRL book, Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy, discussed in this podcast.

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Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy
Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice

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Steve chats with C. J. Box, author of Storm Watch, the 23rd book in his bestselling Joe Pickett series, about his early experiences with libraries, how he gets started with a new book, how his characters have changed over the years, and what it’s like to see his creations adapted for the screen.

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C. J. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels including the Joe Pickett series. He won the Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Novel (Blue Heaven, 2009) as well as the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, two Barry Awards, and the 2010 Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award for fiction. He was recently awarded the 2016 Western Heritage Award for Literature by the National Cowboy Museum as well as the Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel by the Western Writers of America in 2017. Over ten million copies of his books have been sold in the U.S. and abroad and they’ve been translated into 27 languages. Two television series based on his novels are in production (BIG SKY on ABC and JOE PICKETT on Spectrum Originals and Paramount+). He is an Executive Producer for both series.

Box is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a small town newspaper reporter and editor, and he owned an international tourism marketing firm with his wife Laurie. In 2008, Box was awarded the “BIG WYO” Award from the state tourism industry. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo and currently serves on the Wyoming Office of Tourism Board. They have three daughters and two grandchildren. He and his wife Laurie live on their ranch in Wyoming.

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Storm Watch

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Steve chats with the 2023 candidates for President of the American Library Association, Cindy Hohl and Eric D. Suess, about why they want the role, creating safe and equitable environments for library workers and patrons, neutrality, and how new members can find their way in the Association.

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Cindy Hohl is past president of the American Indian Library Association and is an active member of other ALA affiliates, including the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Black Caucus of ALA, Chinese American Librarians Association and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. As a member of the Public Library Association, a division of ALA, she currently co-chairs the Membership Advisory Group, and was a member of the PLA Strategic Plan Review Team. Hohl is also a member of several round tables: Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT), Library Research Round Table (LRRT), and Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT). Hohl holds a Bachelor of Science in Organization Management and Leadership from Friends University, a Master of Library and Information Science from Wayne State University, and a Master of Business Administration from Baker University.

Eric D. Suess is the Director of the Marshall Public Library in Pocatello, Idaho. He has been active in ALA for thirty-five years, including twelve years as a Councilor At-Large, where he was involved in several council committees, including the Policy Monitoring Committee, Committee on Legislation and the Committee on Organization. He is currently a member of the following ALA divisions: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), Core, PLA and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). He also belongs to several round tables, including International Relations Round Table (IRRT), IFRT, Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) and Games and Gaming Round Table (GAMERT). He is an active member of the Idaho Library Association, a chapter of ALA, where he previously chaired its Intellectual Freedom Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Michigan. His wife Karen works with special needs students at Pocatello High School. When not at work, Eric is usually acting in or directing community theater productions. He is currently playing George in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”.

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Steve chats with Grace M. Jackson-Brown, author of Promoting African American Writers, about her path to librarianship, her involvement with the African American Read-In program, why libraries should include programs promoting African American writers, teaching critical thinking skills through reading, and how writing the book was beneficial for her.

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Grace M. Jackson-Brown is a professor for research and instruction at Missouri State University Libraries in Springfield, Missouri. She is chairperson of the Springfield African American Read-In and recipient of the 2014 Zora Neale Hurston Award for promoting African American literature and the Educational Partnership Award of the NAACP Springfield Chapter. Her career spans more than twenty-five years as an academic librarian, much of it devoted to library outreach diversity programming. She holds a master’s degree in library and information management from Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, and a PhD in mass communication from Indiana University–Bloomington.

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Promoting African American Writers: Library Partnerships for Outreach, Programming, and Literacy

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Steve first chats with Falon Ballard, author of Not My Type and Lease on Love, about her experience with libraries, her writing process, her two novels and her podcast, and which Marvel romance she would love to write. Then, Steve gets the rundown on the romance genre with Robin Bradford, author of the Readers’ Advisory Guide to Romance!

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*Falon Ballard is the author of Just My Type and Lease on Love.* When she’s not writing fictional love stories, she’s helping real-life couples celebrate, working as a wedding planner in Southern California.

Robin Bradford has earned a BA and MA in English, an MS in Library Science, and a JD, but has found a home in building reader-focused, popular collections in public libraries. She was recognized as RWA’s 2016 Librarian of the Year, and Emerald City Library Conference’s Librarian of the Year in 2022. She is addicted to books and dedicated to helping others discover a love of reading. She has worked with authors to help get their titles into these collections, and wrote the forthcoming ALA’s Guide to Romance Fiction to further help libraries with their romance collection. She also worked with libraries to push for equal treatment of genre fiction, and worked with readers so that they can find their favorite authors on their library’s shelves.

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Just My Type
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Romance

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Steve chats with John Hubbard, librarian at Washington University in St. Louis and creator of Library Link of the Day, about change management, library vendor consolidation, discovery layers, keeping up with professional news (and why it’s the same topics over and over again), and what the final Library Link of the Day will be.

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John Hubbard is a librarian at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is excited to be leading the development of the main search interface: a discovery layer known as Primo.

John has worked with library technology for over twenty years, with an emphasis on taking an evidence-based and user-driven approach in order to offer the best library user experience. He has previously worked at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Haverford College, and the University of Pennsylvania. His past responsibilities include acting as a library webmaster, coordinating electronic resources, providing library reference services, performing bibliographic instruction, technical writing, and a little light cataloging. John received his library degree from Drexel University and his undergraduate degree at Macalester College.

He was once interviewed by National Public Radio about librarian stereotypes; has delivered presentations on the benefits of emerging and disruptive technologies; and currently operates the Library Link of the Day. He was also named a Library Journal “Mover & Shaker,” as one of the innovators “who are transforming libraries for the future.”

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Library Link of the Day

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Steve chats with Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford, creators of the Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers course for Learn with NoveList, about how they got started doing anti-racism training, the difference between “not racist” and “anti-racist”, working with NoveList to adapt their in-person presentations to a virtual self-paced format, and why they provide serious answers to non-serious questions.

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Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 21 year locally elected Library Trustee [still serving], a Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System, and on the Executive Board of the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with horror readers, Becky is the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021]. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and organizer of their annual Librarians’ Day. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.

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Actively Anti-Racist Service to Readers [Learn with NoveList]

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Steve chats with Angela Hursh, Manager of Engagement and Marketing for NoveList, author of the blog SuperLibraryMarketing.com, and host of the YouTube series The Library Marketing Show, about her path from television journalism to libraries, how libraries can do better marketing without spending a lot, her work at NoveList, and a special online project from her past!

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Angela Hursh is Manager of Engagement and Marketing for NoveList. She helps libraries create effective and engaging ways to market their collection and reach readers as part of the team of expert instructors for LearnwithNoveList.com. Before her job at NoveList, she led the content marketing team for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. She is the author of the blog SuperLibraryMarketing.com and host of the YouTube series The Library Marketing Show. She also has more than 20 years of experience as an Emmy-award-winning broadcast TV journalist.

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Super Library Marketing
The Library Marketing Show
Learn with NoveList

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Steve chats with Sarah Voels, director of Vogel Library at Wartburg College and author of Auditing Diversity in Library Collections, about her path through librarianship, why diversity audits are an essential tool for library collections, how to find diverse materials to add to collections, and how to get started in conducting a diversity audit.

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Sarah Voels is the director of Vogel Library at Wartburg College. She previously worked in collection development, where she began her research and study on diversity audits. These efforts have drawn national attention, and she has presented her findings at multiple conferences, including the Iowa Library Association, Public Library Association, and United for Libraries.

SPONSOR:

Syndetics Unbound, from ProQuest and LibraryThing.
Today’s show is brought to you by Syndetics Unbound, from ProQuest and LibraryThing. Syndetics Unbound helps public and academic libraries enrich their catalogs and discovery systems with high-interest elements, including reader’s advisory, cover images, summaries, author profiles, similar books, reviews, and more. Syndetics Unbound encourages serendipitous discovery and higher collection usage, and was awarded Platinum distinction in the LibraryWorks 2021 Modern Library Awards

To learn more about Syndetics Unbound, visit Syndetics.com. While there, be sure to visit the Syndetics Unbound Blog for news and analysis, including a break-down of libraries’ top titles and other stories of interest to the library community. Again, that’s Syndetics.com, to learn more about today’s sponsor, Syndetics Unbound.

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Auditing Diversity in Library Collections [ABC-CLIO]
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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Alison J. Head, founder and director of Project Information Literacy, about PIL’s early days, PIL’s unique place in the information literacy research field, the importance of student and information agency, and what’s next for the PIL group! Read the transcript! Alison J. Head, Ph.D. is an information scientist and … Continue reading 230: Project Information Literacy, with Dr. Alison J. Head

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Steve chats with Madeline Martin, author of The Librarian Spy, about her childhood experiences with libraries, her love of history and historical fiction, how she does her research, and the wonder of visiting the Library of Congress! Read the transcript! Madeline Martin is a New York Times and International Bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance. … Continue reading 229: The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Jacoby Cochran, host of City Cast Chicago, about the joys and challenges of covering local community news, the future of journalism, upcoming Chicago elections, and managing misinformation. Read the transcript! Jacoby Cochran is a writer, educator, and storyteller. He is the award winning host of City Cast Chicago, which … Continue reading 228: City Cast Chicago – Jacoby Cochran

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Steve chats with library historian Wayne Wiegand about how he came to the library profession, how to view historical figures and actions honestly (warts and all), the history of American libraries, the life and times of Melvil Dewey, and the vital places coffee and cats hold in American library history. Read the transcript! Wayne A. … Continue reading 227: Wayne Wiegand

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Steve chats with Jeanie Austin, Jail and Reentry Services Librarian with San Francisco Public Library and author of Library Services and Incarceration: Recognizing Barriers, Strengthening Access, about their path to librarianship, the history and present state of library service to incarcerated persons, and why libraries should focus services on incarcerated persons and those experiencing re-entry. Read the … Continue reading 226: Library Services and Incarceration, with Jeanie Austin

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Steve chats with Addison Armstrong, author of The War Librarian and The Light of Luna Park, about her experiences with libraries, what she likes about writing historical fiction and dual timelines, finding story ideas in her historical research, and how her love of school supplies and ants fueled her writing life as a young girl! … Continue reading 225: Addison Armstrong

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Guest host Natalia Estrada chats with Liladhar Pendse, librarian for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies and the Caribbean and Latin American Studies at the University of California-Berkeley, about the concept of Area Studies, his work archiving Afghanistan’s digital and cultural content after the US withdrawal, the challenges of archiving war-torn areas such as Ukraine, … Continue reading 224: Area Studies Librarianship with Liladhar Pendse

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Steve chats with Allison Waukau, Native Community Liaison at Hennepin County Library, about her work connecting the library with the Native community, how libraries can better hire and retain Native staff, how publishing is (slowly) improving at telling authentic Native stories, and the importance of land acknowledgements. Read the transcript! Allison Waukau is the Native … Continue reading 223: Allison Waukau

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Virginia Campbell, host of the Brain Science Podcast and author of Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, about why she created and continues the podcast, the hidden layer of the brain, how cognition differs from knowing, and why science is not just a set of boring … Continue reading 222: Brain Science – Dr. Virginia Campbell

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Steve chats with Marshall Breeding, longtime library technologist and writer of the annual Library Systems Report, about the history of library automation, putting together the data for the Library Systems Report, proprietary and open source ILS systems, and how vendors work well with each other (and sometimes don’t). Marshall Breeding is an independent consultant, speaker, … Continue reading 221: Library Systems Report 2022 – Marshall Breeding

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Steve chats with researcher and writer Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson, and John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary, about Dr. Magnusson’s Book Censorship Database and why EveryLibrary Institute wanted to support and promote it, the integrity of the book challenge process and how it’s often hijacked and corrupted, and why Steve and John will never get email … Continue reading 220: Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson

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Steve chats with Paula Willey, co-author (with Andria Amaral) of The Passive Programming Playbook: 101 Ways to Get Library Customers Off the Sidelines, about what passive programming is, why libraries should be doing it, some creative examples, and why candy corn divides Paula and Andria’s friendship. Read the transcript! Paula Willey is a librarian at … Continue reading 219: Passive Programming Playbook

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Steve chats with the 2022 candidates for President of the American Library Association: Emily Drabinski, Critical Pedagogy Librarian and Interim Chief Librarian at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, and Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Read the transcript! Emily Drabinski is Critical Pedagogy Librarian and Interim Chief … Continue reading 218: ALA Presidential Candidates (2022)

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Steve chats with Dion Graham, actor and audiobook narrator, about his love of libraries from an early age, how he approaches books he’s going to be narrating, representation in audio work, and some of the recent books he’s narrated. Read the transcript! Dion Graham, from HBO’s The Wire, also narrates The First 48 on A&E. A multiple Audie Award–winning … Continue reading 217: Dion Graham

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, about her background, her neuroscience beach read, Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain, mindfulness, and why your brain is not for thinking. Read the transcript! Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is the University Distinguished Professor of Psychology … Continue reading 216: Lisa Feldman Barrett

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Steve chats with William Ottens, author of Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks, about his path to librarianship, starting Librarian Problems on Tumblr way back when, and fun / maddening librarian stereotypes. Read the transcript! William Ottens is a librarian and the creator of the library-centric Librarian Problems Tumblr. Described by Library Journal‘s Tumblr-in-Chief, … Continue reading 215: William Ottens

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Steve chats with Elena Lopez, Bharat Mehra, and Maggie Caspe, editors of A Librarian’s Guide to Engaging Families in Learning, about how they first got involved with libraries, the benefits of family engagement, and adapting in times of crisis. Read the transcript! M. Elena Lopez is an independent researcher whose work focuses on the ecology of … Continue reading 214: A Librarian’s Guide to Engaging Families in Learning

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Steve chats with Meredith Farkas, faculty librarian at Portland Community College in Oregon, about her path to librarianship, the concept of slow librarianship, avoiding techno-saviorism, and why she ended her long-running American Libraries column. Read the transcript! Meredith Farkas (she/her) is a faculty librarian at Portland Community College in Oregon, a perpetual beginner, and a … Continue reading 213: Meredith Farkas – Slow Librarianship

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Steve chats with Donald Cohen, co-author of The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back, about how he defines privatization, why public goods are vital to a functioning democracy, public-private partnerships that work, and what individuals can do to fight back against privatization. Read the … Continue reading 212: Donald Cohen

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Steve chats with Shannon M. Oltmann, author of Practicing Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, about the definition of intellectual freedom, why intellectual freedom is important to the library profession, how to handle materials challenges, and how intellectual freedom overlaps with the right to privacy. Read the transcript! Shannon M. Oltmann is an Associate Professor in the … Continue reading 211: Shannon M. Oltmann

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Steve chats with Paul Signorelli, author of Change the World Using Social Media, about his background in libraries, why librarians should be activists, avoiding the traps of negativity and leveraging social media for good, and his contributions to the T is for Training podcast. Read the transcript! Paul Signorelli, author of Change the World Using … Continue reading 210: Paul Signorelli

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Steve chats with Matt Finch and Bronwen Gamble about facilitating scenario planning during a pandemic, involving all staff members in important decision-making, learning to live with uncertainty, and Bronwen’s plans (or lack thereof) for retirement. Read the transcript! Dr. Matt Finch is an Associate Fellow of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, … Continue reading 209: Matt Finch and Bronwen Gamble

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Steve chats with Julie Ann Winkelstein, author of Homelessness and Libraries: an Action Guide, about her path to librarianship, terminology when discussing homelessness, compassion fatigue, and creating an action plan. Read the transcript! Julie Ann Winkelstein, MLIS, PhD, is a librarian, writer, activist and teacher. She is the author of Libraries and Homelessness: An Action Guide (Libraries … Continue reading 208: Julie Ann Winkelstein

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Hugo Mercier, research scientist and author of Not Born Yesterday: The Science of Who We Trust and What We Believe, about cognitive science, how humans think they make decisions (and how they actually do), intuition, and why we aren’t as easily fooled as we think (…or are we?). … Continue reading 207: Hugo Mercier

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Steve chats with Becky Spratford, author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, about RA for All’s origin story, why people read scary books, the importance of promoting diversity in the horror genre, and which book Steve should read next to scare the bejesus out of him. Read the transcript! Today’s show is brought to … Continue reading 206: Becky Spratford

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Steve chats with Lori Berezovsky, vice-president / president-elect of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, about her path to librarianship, their upcoming virtual conference, and how outreach has changed in COVID times. Read the transcript! Lori Berezovsky is the outreach Librarian at Salina Public Library, Salina, KS and is the current Vice President/President-Elect of … Continue reading 205: Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services

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Steve chats with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The Personal Librarian, about their early childhood experiences in libraries, why they found Belle da Costa Greene’s story so compelling and relevant to our modern times, and why they’re writing soulmates. Read the transcript! Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ … Continue reading 204: Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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Steve chats with Judi Moreillon, editor of Core Values in School Librarianship: Responding with Commitment and Courage, about why equity, diversity, inclusion, and intellectual freedom are core values for school librarians, the work of her contributors, and why this is her last book. Judi Moreillon, PhD, is an editor, author, literacies and libraries consultant, and a … Continue reading 203: Judi Moreillon

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Steve chats with Gene Ambaum and Willow Payne, the writer and artist of Library Comic, about the transition from Unshelved to Library Comic, integrating spiders into the strip as much as possible, creative Kickstarter merch ideas, and Gene’s terrible taste in books and movies (according to Willow). Gene Ambaum is a library guy who lives … Continue reading 202: Library Comic – Gene Ambaum and Willow Payne

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Steve chats with David Lankes, author of Forged in War: How a Century of War Created Today’s Information Society, about his new position at the University of Texas at Austin, whether or not libraries are neutral (spoiler: they’re not), knowledge infrastructure, and how the wars of the 20th century shaped propaganda, how data is collected and used, and … Continue reading 201: David Lankes – Forged in War

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Steve chats with Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the American Library Association, about her path to librarianship, her role as ALA’s Executive Director, what ALA has done and can do for library workers, libraries working for social justice, and accepting ourselves as members of the human race. In February 2020, Tracie D. Hall was … Continue reading 200: Tracie D. Hall

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Hi, listeners! After mulling it over for quite awhile – literally years! – I decided that the 10th anniversary of the podcast would be a great time to launch a Circulating Ideas Newsletter! The podcast facilitates conversations with the innovative people and ideas inspiring libraries to grow and thrive in the 21st century, and the … Continue reading The Newsletter

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Steve chats with John Ballestro, editor of The Library’s Guide to Graphic Novels, along with many of the contributors, to discuss the ever-changing ways that graphic novels are created, packaged, marketed, and released, exploring such topics as the history of comics, collection development, cataloging, and specialized resources. Today’s show is brought to you by Syndetics Unbound, … Continue reading 199: The Library’s Guide to Graphic Novels

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Steve chats with Imbolo Mbue, author of How Beautiful We Were and Behold the Dreamers, about how a library display helped inspire her to start writing, the characters and themes she tackles in her work, writing as catharsis, and what it’s like to get a phone call from Oprah. IMBOLO MBUE is the author of … Continue reading 198: Imbolo Mbue

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Steve chats with the three 2021 candidates for American Library Association President: Stacey Aldrich, Ed Garcia, and Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. Read the transcript! Stacey Aldrich has more than 20 years of library experience, and is currently the State Librarian of Hawaii. Prior to Hawaii, she served as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries … Continue reading 197: ALA Presidential Candidates 2021

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Steve chats with Noah Lenstra, author of Healthy Living at the Library, about the Let’s Move in Libraries initiative, why it’s important to work with community partners, examples of health literacy programming, and how libraries have adapted their programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noah Lenstra started Let’s Move in Libraries in 2016 at the … Continue reading 196: Noah Lenstra

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Steve chats with Callan Bignoli and Lauren Stara, authors of Responding to Rapid Change in Libraries: a User Experience Approach, about how they met and decided to write a book together, how the New York Public Library lions guided their thinking, and the myriad issues libraries need to consider to prepare for future change. CALLAN … Continue reading 195: Callan Bignoli and Lauren Stara

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Steve chats with Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, founder of Digital Respons-Ability, library consultant and author of Serving Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Libraries, about her work with libraries, why she founded Digital Respons-Ability, using person-first language, and how libraries can better serve teens and adults on the autism spectrum. Carrie Rogers-Whitehead worked … Continue reading 194: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead

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Steve chats with Representative Kathleen Willis, who represents Illinois’s 77th District, about her past experience in libraries, her legislative priorities, the parts of writing a bill that Schoolhouse Rock doesn’t cover, and how library staff can successfully lobby for funding. Kathleen Willis is serving her fourth term in the Illinois General Assembly as State Representative … Continue reading 193: Kathleen Willis

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with journalism professor Jeremy Shermak, about the state of journalism, misinformation vs. disinformation, the collapse of local news, and the media literacy skills librarians need to understand. Jeremy Shermak is a journalism professor and the faculty advisor to the student newspaper, Coast Report, at Orange Coast College. He earned his Ph.D. in journalism … Continue reading 192: Jeremy Shermak

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Steve chats with Guy LeCharles Gonzalez, project lead for the Panorama Project, about what the project is, how he came to it, what libraries and publishers can learn about each other, and why he is optimistic about the future of reading. Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is project lead for the Panorama Project. Previously, he was publisher & marketing … Continue reading 191: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

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Steve chats with John Bracken, Executive Director at Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), about why he left the Knight Foundation to take on the challenge of the DPLA, how the DPLA works with its partners, and how DPLA is working to protect democracy and advance needed conversations about race. John Bracken has served as … Continue reading 190: John Bracken

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Steve chats with Esther Safran Foer, the author of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here, about releasing a book during a pandemic, her time at Sixth & I, the exploration of her past leading to the writing of her memoir, and whether she sought writing advice from her sons. Esther Safran Foer was the … Continue reading 189: Esther Safran Foer

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Steve chats with Shauntee Burns-Simpson, 2020-2022 President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), about BCALA’s 50 anniversary, how libraries can help facilitate hard conversations about race, and inspirational African American librarians. Shauntee Burns-Simpson is currently the Manager, School Support and Outreach at the New York Public Library (NYPL) where she has … Continue reading 188: Shauntee Burns-Simpson

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Steve chats with Troy Swanson, professor at Moraine Valley Community College, about his path to librarianship, how neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology can affect information literacy, and the chapter he co-wrote in Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization. Troy A. Swanson is Teaching & Learning Librarian and Library Department Chair at Moraine … Continue reading 187: Troy Swanson

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Steve chats with Stephen Krueger, author of Supporting Trans People in Libraries, about his path to librarianship, why he felt the book was needed, how you can support trans staff and patrons, and his personal reactions to this year’s Library of the Year award winner. Stephen G. Krueger (he/him or they/them) is the author of … Continue reading 186: Stephen Krueger

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Steve chats with Karen Keninger, Director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress, about accommodations for the blind and print disabled community, what’s in the NLS’s collection, eligibility requirements, NLS network libraries, and how your library can help NLS’s mission. Karen Keninger has served as the … Continue reading 185: Karen Keninger

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Steve chats with strategy & foresight consultant Matt Finch about what scenario planning is and why libraries need to be doing it, some of the big ideas libraries need to be thinking about, working remotely during a pandemic, and exploring Library Island. Matt Finch is a strategy & foresight consultant at mechanicaldolphin.com and an Adjunct Research Fellow … Continue reading 184: Matt Finch

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Steve chats with January LaVoy, actress and audiobook narrator, about her experience with libraries, how she finds the right voice for each audiobook she narrates, the care she takes in translating an author’s story in audio, and working with a little-known actress named Meryl Streep to bring Charlotte’s Web to life.

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Steve chats with Stacy Brown, librarian and 21st Century Learning Coordinator at The Davis Academy, about her family history in librarianship, how she’s adapted her work to life during a pandemic, and her book, The School Librarian’s Technology Playbook: Innovative Strategies for Teachers and Learners. SHOW NOTES: Circulating Ideas: 137 School Librarian PanelThe School Librarian’s … Continue reading 182: Stacy Brown

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Steve chats with Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series; the newest book in the series The King’s Justice is out now. Susan discusses how libraries inspired her career, how the Maggie Hope series came to be, and why she writes historical fiction. Susan Elia MacNeal is the New … Continue reading 181: Susan Elia MacNeal

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Steve chats with David Jarmul, author of Not Exactly Retired: A Life-Changing Journey on the Road and in the Peace Corps, about his life in and out of the Peace Corps, including his time working in a library in Moldova. David Jarmul is the author of Not Exactly Retired: A Life-Changing Journey on the Road and in … Continue reading 180: David Jarmul

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Steve chats with John Chrastka, President of the Board of Directors of EveryLibrary Institute and Executive Director at EveryLibrary, about the Help A Library worker Out (HALO) Fund, which helps librarians, library staff, and library workers who need help with housing expenses, child care, groceries, or other expenses during this crisis. Click here to donate … Continue reading 179: HALO Fund

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Steve chats with Timothy Cherubini, Executive Director of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies and coordinator of Measures That Matter, about his path to librarianship, the Public Library Data Alliance, and why collecting accurate data about public libraries is important. Timothy Cherubini is the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) first Executive Director … Continue reading 178: Tim Cherubini

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Recorded at the Public Library Association 2020 conference, Steve chats with Sourcebooks authors Ashley Blooms, Emily Levesque, and Caroline B. Cooney about their new books and their interactions with – and love of – libraries. Then, Steve catches up with Megan Emery of the Healing Library and Becky Spratford of RA for All and RA … Continue reading 177: PLA 2020

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Steve chats with Thane Benson, librarian at Denver Public Library and author of Murder Mystery, Graphic Novels, and More: Innovative Programs for Engaging Teens in Your Library, about his path to librarianship, coming up with creative programs for teens, and his own artistic projects. Thane Benson is a librarian for Denver Public Library. He works … Continue reading 176: Thane Benson

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Guest host Heather Moorefield-Lang chats with author Gail Carriger, about how she uses libraries and books for research, writing the Parasol Protectorate series, dressing well for author signing lines, and her reading recommendations. Read the transcript. Gail Carriger has multiple NYT bestsellers and over a million books in print in dozens of different languages. She … Continue reading 175: Gail Carriger

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Steve chats with Adam Zand and Greg Peverill-Conti, the principals of SharpOrange PR agency and the creators of the Library Land project, about how libraries helped them build their business, why they decided to visit all of the libraries in Massachusetts, and how they’ve come to love libraries. Greg Peverill-Conti and Adam Zand are the … Continue reading 174: Library Land

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Steve chats with Melissa Wong, adjunct instructor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science and author of Instructional Design for LIS Professionals: a Guide for Teaching Librarians and Information Science Professionals, about her path to librarianship and teaching, focusing on accessibility when designing courses, supporting students, and what … Continue reading 173: Melissa Wong

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Guest host Sarah Clark chats with Amanda Clay Powers, Martin Garnar, and Dustin Fife, authors of A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders: Advice in Conversation, about learning through conversation, fundraising, and how white leaders can initiate diverse, equitable, and inclusive change at their place of work. Amanda Clay Powers is dean of library services … Continue reading 172: Amanda Clay Powers, Martin Garnar, Dustin Fife

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Steve chats with returning guest Michael Stephens, Associate Professor in the School of Information at San Jose State University and author of Whole Hearted Librarianship, about empathy in librarianship, the importance of self-care, learning from libraries around the world, and what we can learn from dogs about life. Dr. Michael Stephens is Associate Professor in the … Continue reading 171: Michael Stephens

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Steve chats with Julie Fishman, Chief of the Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about the mission and strategic vision of the CDC Library Branch. Read the transcript. Julie Fishman, MPH, is the Chief, the Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library for the Centers for Disease Control and … Continue reading 170: Julie Fishman

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Guest host Matthew Murray chats with Amie Wright, President of the American Library Association’s newly formed Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table, about her path to librarianship, coming back to comics as an adult reader, working in NYC to connect libraries and schools, and the work of the GNCRT. Amie Wright is a Public History … Continue reading 169: Amie Wright

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Jacquelyn Whiting and Michelle Luhtala, authors of News Literacy: the Keys to Combating Fake News, about teaching media literacy skills, helping students explore their own worldviews, guiding students through information overload, and the importance of mindfulness. Jacquelyn Whiting is a Google Certified Innovator because the fifth time’s the charm. … Continue reading 168: Jacquelyn Whiting and Michelle Luhtala

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Mark Ramsey about creating audio movies like Inside Jaws and Inside Star Wars, his research process, and the future of podcasting. Mark Ramsey is a podcast producer, media strategist and writer. He is the writer, producer, and host of the podcast series Inside Star Wars, Inside Jaws, Inside the … Continue reading 167: Mark Ramsey

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Steve chats with Stephanie Chase and Hillary Ostlund from Hillsboro (OR) Public Library, about their paths to librarianship, working with a diverse community, going deskless, and blowing up their organizational structure. Read the transcript. Stephanie Chase is the Director of Libraries for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon. With more than twenty years of experience in … Continue reading 166: Stephanie Chase and Hillary Ostlund

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Steve chats with Sari Feldman, newly-retired Executive Director of Cuyahoga County Public Library and former president of the Public Library Association and the American Library Association, about lessons learned as ALA President, the current library ebook landscape, her legacy at Cuyahoga County, and how she will continue to work within the profession. In August 2019, … Continue reading 165: Sari Feldman

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Steve chats with Cicely Lewis, library media specialist at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, GA, about Read Woke and other projects she has created for her students, her path from teaching to libraries, and how it feels to win so many awards in such a short period of time. Cicely Lewis is the library media … Continue reading 164: Cicely Lewis

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Steve chats with Rebecca Vnuk, Executive Director of LibraryReads, about her current favorite reads, what LibraryReads is, and how library staff can get involved. Rebecca Vnuk is the Executive Director of LibraryReads. She has an MLIS from Dominican University and worked as a public librarian before becoming the editor for Collection Management and Library Outreach … Continue reading 163: Rebecca Vnuk

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Steve chats with Dr. R. David Lankes, director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science, about the current state of New Librarianship, Big Data and privacy concerns, and defining library science as distinct to information science. R. David Lankes is a professor and the director of the University of South Carolina’s … Continue reading 162: David Lankes

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Steve chats with bestselling horror author Grady Hendrix and Readers’ Advisory Specialist Becky Spratford about how Grady grew up with libraries, the legitimacy of genre fiction, lessons learned from Stephen King, and the Summer Scares program. Grady Hendrix is a best selling author whose novels include Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism – which he describes … Continue reading 161: Grady Hendrix and Becky Spratford

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Steve chats with Roy Tennant, digital librarian (now retired), about how he first saw the link between libraries and technology, his work at the University of California, creating one of the longest-running web publications in Current Cites, and what technological challenges still face libraries today. Roy Tennant is an internationally recognized digital librarian, now retired. … Continue reading 160: Roy Tennant

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Steve chats with Becky Yoose, founder and Library Data Privacy Consultant for LDH Consulting Services, about how libraries do (and don’t) keep data private and secure and why they should. Becky Yoose is the founder and Library Data Privacy Consultant for LDH Consulting Services, a consultancy that guides libraries and their vendors in protecting patron data … Continue reading 159: Becky Yoose

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Steve chats with Molly Schwartz, host and producer of Preserve This Podcast and archivist and audio producer at the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), about how she started working with libraries and archives, the importance and challenges of preserving born-digital media, and the details of the Preserve This Podcast project. Molly Schwartz is a … Continue reading 158: Molly Schwartz

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Guest host Thomas Maluck chats with Tim Smyth, MS Reading Specialist, about how comics can be a powerful tool in education. Tim Smyth, MS Reading Specialist, has been teaching social studies at Wissahickon High School in Pennsylvania since 2001 and travels the United States giving professional development on the use of comics in education. His … Continue reading 157: Tim Smyth

The Silence of Our Friends : The Civil Rights Struggle Was Never Black and White

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Steve chats with Deb Takahashi, branch librarian for Pasadena Public Library and author of Serving Teens with Mental Illness in the Library, about why she wrote the book, how to work with teens with mental illnesses in your library, and why self-care is important. Deborah K. Takahashi is a branch librarian for Pasadena Public Library who … Continue reading 156: Deborah Takahashi

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Steve chats with Ann Ewbank, and author of Political Advocacy for School Librarians: Leveraging Your Influence, about her path to librarianship, why political advocacy is essential for school librarians, the importance of building relationships with stakeholders, and her time as an inaugural member of the ALA Policy Corps. Ann Dutton Ewbank, PhD, is associate professor … Continue reading 155: Ann Ewbank

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Steve chats with Jim Lynch, editor of TechSoup for Libraries, about TechSoup’s background and mission, how its programs and services work, and how your library can get involved. Jim Lynch is the editor of TechSoup for Libraries and also a senior writer on nonprofit technology at TechSoup. Over his long career at TechSoup, Jim has … Continue reading 154: Jim Lynch

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Steve chats with MK Czerwiec about her career as the Comic Nurse, what graphic medicine is, and why libraries should have it in their collections. MK Czerwiec is a Senior Fellow of the George Washington School of Nursing Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement (Washington, DC) and the Artist-in- Residence at Northwestern Feinberg School … Continue reading 153: MK Czerwiec

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Steve chats with Julius Jefferson and Lance Werner, the two 2019 candidates for President of the American Library Association, about why they want to be President, how to promote and advocate for more diversity and inclusion in the profession, how the association can be more open to virtual participation, and why libraries are still important … Continue reading 152: ALA Presidential Candidates (2019)

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Steve chats with Melissa Powell, editor of Becoming an Independent Information Professional, about her path to librarianship, her book, and how to find out if being an independent informational professional is for you, and if so, how to do it! Melissa Powell has been working in libraries since 1980, starting out as a shelver at … Continue reading 151: Melissa Powell

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Steve chats with Sarah LeMire, co-author of Serving Those Who Served: Librarian’s Guide to Working with Veteran and Military Communities and the First Year Programs Coordinator at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, about her path to librarianship, transitioning new students to college life (including an AR tour of the library!), and how various types of … Continue reading 150: Sarah LeMire

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Steve chats with Christian Lauersen and Marie Engberg Eiriksson, founders of Library Planet, a library-focused crowd-sourced travel blog, about library collaboration, why they started Library Planet, how you can contribute, and the making of a bossa nova library song. Christian Lauersen is director of Libraries and Citizen Services in Roskilde Municipality. He believe libraries are crucial institutions … Continue reading 149: Library Planet

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Steve chats with Loida Garcia-Febo, President of the American Library Association (2018-2019), about her path to librarianship, visiting Puerto Rice post-Hurricane Maria, highlights of her ALA Presidency so far, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession. Loida Garcia-Febo is an international library consultant, researcher and expert on topics such as human … Continue reading 148: Loida Garcia-Febo

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Steve chats with Matthew Winner, elementary school librarian and host of The Children’s Book Podcast, about his path to librarianship, diverse representation, professional learning networks, and being a White House Champion of Change. Matthew Winner is an elementary school librarian living in Howard County, Maryland. He is the host of The Children’s Book Podcast (formerly … Continue reading 147: Matthew Winner

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Steve chats with Danielle Borasky, Vice President of NoveList, about her path to librarianship, the differences between working at a vendor vs. working in a library, the importance of books and reading, and some powerful features in NoveList. As Vice President of NoveList, Danielle Borasky leads a team working to help readers find their next … Continue reading 146: Danielle Borasky

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Steve chats with John Huber and Steven V. Potter, co-authors of The Purpose-Based Library. In Part 2 of their discussion, they chat about dashboard metrics, marketing libraries (and why libraries have traditionally been bad at it), and sustainability. John Huber is an author, Lean Library Consultant and international speaker. After assisting over 100 manufacturing, distribution … Continue reading 145: Purpose-Based Library, Part 2

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Steve chats with John Huber and Steven V. Potter, co-authors of The Purpose-Based Library. In Part 1 of their discussion, they chat about Lean Library Management, the purpose of libraries, and managing change through tough economic times. John Huber is an author, Lean Library Consultant and international speaker. After assisting over 100 manufacturing, distribution retail … Continue reading 144: Purpose-Based Library, Part 1

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with journalist David Beard about his work at the Poynter Institute and Mother Jones and how librarians and journalists can thrive in the future and fight off fake news. David Beard is a contributing editor to Poynter and writes the Morning MediaWire. He is a former digital content editor of … Continue reading 143: David Beard

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Steve chats with Heather Moorefield-Lang and Gina Seymour. Heather is the editor of School Library Makerspaces in Action, and Gina is the author of Makers with a Cause: Creative Service Projects for Library Youth. Heather Moorefield-Lang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She started … Continue reading 142: School Library Makerspaces

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Laura Saunders, an Associate Professor at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. Laura Saunders is an Associate Professor at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science, teaching and conducting research in the areas of reference and instruction, information literacy, and academic libraries. She also has a … Continue reading 141: Laura Saunders

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Steve chats with Maurice Coleman, Technical Trainer at the Harford County Public Library in Maryland and longtime host of the T is for Training podcast, about the origins of his podcast, how he got involved with libraries and training, and why makerspaces are within scope for libraries. Maurice Coleman is currently the Technical Trainer at the … Continue reading 140: Maurice Coleman

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, an Associate Professor at the School of Information Sciences, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and author of Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-Truth Era. Dr. Nicole A. Cooke is an Associate Professor at the School of Information Sciences, at the University of … Continue reading 139: Nicole Cooke

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Steve chats with Karen Green, Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and the creator of the graphic novels collection in Columbia’s Butler Library, about her (Eisner-winning!!) path to librarianship, defining comics, and how she teaches comics as literature. Karen Green is the Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia … Continue reading 138: Karen Green

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Steve chats with a panel of school librarians at the 2018 American Library Association Annual Conference: Heather Moorefield-Lang, Deb Logan, Heather Thore, Stacy Brown, Gina Seymour, and Sedley Abercrombie. Heather Moorefield-Lang is an assistant professor with the Department of Library and Information Studies at The University of NC at Greensboro. Her research is focused in technology integration in … Continue reading 137: School Librarian Panel

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Steve chats with Jennie Rothschild, a Collection Development Librarian for Arlington Public Library, about her book club podcast, serving on awards committees, and her experience at the ALA Annual Conference. Jennie Rothschild is a Collection Development Librarian for Arlington Public Library in Arlington, VA. She has also been a branch manager and youth services librarian. … Continue reading 136: Jennie Rothschild

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At the 2018 ALA Annual Conference, Steve chats with Ryan Dowd, author of The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness, about how to use empathy-driven enforcement with individuals experiencing homelessness and working with Emilio Estevez to promote the new film The Public. Read the transcript. Ryan Dowd began volunteering at his local homeless shelter when he was … Continue reading 135: Ryan Dowd

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Steve chats with Andromeda Yelton, software engineer and librarian at MIT, about her winding path to and through librarianship, Django cats and ALA candidate sorters, LITA’s plans and programs at ALA Annual, and why machine learning is good but will probably kill us all. Andromeda Yelton (http://andromedayelton.com) is a software engineer and librarian. Currently she … Continue reading 134: Andromeda Yelton

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Steve chats with Matthew Noe, Collection Outreach Librarian at Harvard Medical School, about what graphic medicine is, his “early” experiences with comics, why libraries should collect comics, upcoming conferences, and his work on an annotated bibliography of graphic medicine. Matthew Noe is a health sciences librarian specializing in graphic medicine and the medical humanities. He … Continue reading 133: Matthew Noe

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Steve chats with Laurie Allen, Assistant Director for Digital Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania, about digital scholarship, digitizing Philadelphia neighborhood maps, and the Data Refuge project. Laurie Allen leads a team providing oversight, coordination, and support for services spanning digital publishing and open access, data services and management, digital humanities/digital scholarship, and Mapping & Geospatial … Continue reading 132: Laurie Allen

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Steve chats with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator for Library Sustainability at the Mid-Hudson Library System in New York and author of Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World. Author of Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library’s Future in an Uncertain World and Resilience, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich has been a public library development consultant since 1998. Rebekkah currently holds the … Continue reading 131: Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

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Steve chats with Susan Barnum, librarian at the El Paso Public Library and 2018 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, about her journey to librarianship, editing Wikipedia, and the library’s role in being inclusive to their diverse communities. Susan Barnum earned her MLIS at the University of North Texas in 2013. She grew up around libraries … Continue reading 130: Susan Barnum

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Guest host Charlie Bennett chats with Trevor Dawes, vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University Librarian at the University of Delaware, about making professional goals, being ACRL president, mentoring and leadership, and increasing diversity and inclusion in libraries. Trevor A. Dawes is the vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University … Continue reading 129: Trevor Dawes

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Steve chats with Peter Hepburn and Wanda Brown, 2018 candidates for American Library Association President, about why they want to be president, how to increase diversity in the profession, and what the degree requirements should be for the ALA Executive Director. Read the transcript. Canadian-born and raised, Peter Hepburn earned his BA (Honours) in Political … Continue reading 128: ALA Presidential Candidates (2018)

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Guest host Thomas Maluck chats with Matthew Murray about zine libraries, diversity in comics, and podcasting in the library world. Matthew Murray is a Visiting Library Fellow at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas University Libraries. When he’s not trying to read all of the comics ever Matthew spends his time recording and editing the … Continue reading 127: Matthew Murray

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Steve chats with Alex Halpern, a library school student in Oregon whose “Angriest Librarian” tweets defending libraries went viral. Steve and Alex chat about Library Twitter, how libraries need to embed themselves in their communities, and how to improve library school. Alex Halpern is an MLS student in the Portland, Oregon Cohort of Emporia State … Continue reading 126: Alex Halpern

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Guest host Amanda L. Goodman chats with Frank Skornia, Digital Librarian for Adult & Information Services at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut, about virtual reality in libraries. Frank Skornia is a geek, a reader, and a librarian – not necessarily in that order. He has been the Digital Librarian for Adult & Information Services … Continue reading 125: Frank Skornia

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Steve chats with Bonnie Tijerina about patron and data privacy, her passion for librarianship, creating conferences, and her work with the Data & Society Institute, Library Consulting Network, SXSW, and the Awesome Foundation. Bonnie Tijerina is currently a researcher at the Data & Society Institute and a Lecturer at University of Wisconsin, Madison’s iSchool. She is founder of ER&L (Electronic … Continue reading 124: Bonnie Tijerina

Protecting Patron Privacy: A LITA Guide (LITA Guides)

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Guest host Troy Swanson chats with Dr. Nathan Carpenter about social media literacy and fake news. Dr. Nathan Carpenter is the Director of Convergent Media for the School of Communication at Illinois State University. He is the principal architect and coordinator of the Social Media Analytics Command Center, manages instructional computing resources, and teaches courses … Continue reading 123: Nathan Carpenter

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Steve chats with Megan Emery, Kirsten Cappy, and Bonnie Thomas about the Healing Library, a project to assist families with healing in a healthy way while teaching parents the skills of looking critically at picture books and utilizing them to communicate with children.

Megan Emery, MLIS, is an Experience Designer & Coordinator for the Chattanooga Public Library. She has worked at library innovation for 3 public libraries in 3 different states for over 10 years. She is the author of Cooking Up Program Teens and Tweens Will Love: Recipes for Success, and she believes in the power of respecting the old while enthusiastically attempting the new, committing to user based design, and in petting puppies whenever you see them.

Kirsten Cappy is the owner of Curious City, a small company dedicated to creating discovery for children’s literature. Curious City creates story hour kits, book scavenger games, discussion and book club guides, videos, book giveaways, and other tools to engage young readers in the written word through play, conversation, and social action. These tools, created in partnership with authors, illustrators and publishers, are available free to librarians, educators, and literacy organizations at CuriousCityDPW.com.

Bonnie Thomas is the author of Creative Coping Skills for Children: Emotional Support Through Arts and Crafts Activities (2009); Creative Expression Activities for Teens: Exploring Identity Through Art, Craft, and Journaling (2010); How to Get Kids Offline, Outdoors and Connected to Nature: 200+ Activities to Encourage Self Esteem, Mindfulness, and Wellbeing (2014); More Creative Coping Skills for Children: Activities, Games, Stories, and Handouts to Help Children Self Regulate (2016); and Toxins and Antidotes : A Therapeutic Card Deck (2017). Bonnie counsels youth ages 3-17 at her private practice business Indigo North Counseling, LLC in Southern Maine.

SHOW NOTES:

The Healing Library
The Healing Library: Lending Healing Experiences to Families [Infopeople webinar]
What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur Levine

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

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Steve chats with Rebecca Vnuk, editor of IndiePicks, the book review publication dedicated to independent publishers and authors.

Rebecca Vnuk comes to IndiePicks after holding the position of Editor for Collection Management and Library Outreach with Booklist Publications. She has an MLIS from Dominican University and worked for a decade as a public librarian, in a variety of positions from Readers’ Advisor to adult services management. Rebecca is the author of three reference books on the topic of Women’s Fiction, as well as a best-selling book on weeding library collections. Rebecca was a 2010 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, the 2010 PLA Allie Beth Martin Award Winner for distinguished Readers Advisory Service, and the 2008 Library Journal Fiction Reviewer of the Year. She’s an expert on chick lit, but she also likes to read about serial killers and zombies (after all, it’s not all about the shoes!). If she’s not tucked away filling her head with terrifying tales or women’s weepers, she’s probably running after her two young sons.

SHOW NOTES:

Circulating Ideas 55: Rebecca Vnuk [2014]
IndiePicks

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

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Steve chats with Becky Spratford, creator of RA for All and RA for All: Horror, about getting respect for reviews of genre titles, her upcoming work in IndiePicks magazine, and how to do readers’ advisory in genres you don’t personally enjoy or understand (also, Carrie vs. Pennywise??).

Becky Spratford is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the popular and critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All and it’s evil twin RA for All: Horror and is on the Steering Committee of the Adult Reading Round Table. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and IndiePicks Magazine. Becky is also known for her work with horror readers as the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Second Edition [ALA Editions, 2012] and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association who honored her as a special guest of honor at StokerCon 2017 for her contribution to the genre. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.

SHOW NOTES:

The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror

IndiePicks

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

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Steve chats with Jeffrey Davis about his new book, The Collection All Around: Sharing Our Cities, Towns, and Natural Places.

Jeffrey T. Davis is a branch manager at San Diego Public Library. He has worked in branch and central libraries from the South Bronx to downtown San Diego and in collection development and online services. He enjoys talking about libraries, library experimentation, and the awesome things that librarians do. His library design shingle is at libraryfresh.com and he tweets miscellaneously @augmentedballot.

SHOW NOTES:

The Collection All Around: Sharing Our Cities, Towns, and Natural Places

Library Fresh

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

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Steve chats with John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary, about their One Million Americans for Libraries project and more.

John Chrastka is founder and executive director of EveryLibrary, the first Super PAC for libraries. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has provided pro-bono support to 63 library communities with ballot measures and tax referendum, helping win well over $220 million in stable tax funding. He is a former Board president of the Berwyn (IL) Public Library and RAILS, the Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System. Prior to EveryLibrary, he was a partner in AssociaDirect, an association consultancy, and was Director for Membership Development at ALA. He is a 2014 LJ Mover & Shaker. He tweets at @everylibrary.

SHOW NOTES:

EveryLibrary

One Million Americans for Libraries

Save School Librarians

EveryLibrary [Medium]

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

Circulating Ideas: Recent Episodes

Steve Thomas